The Detroit Tigers announced today that they have agreed to terms with free agent first basemen Prince Fielder. The deal is reported to be nine years and worth $214 million.
This deal solidifies the Tigers' control over the AL Central. They are definitely the best team in the division and should compete for the World Series next year with the kind of lineup they have, plus the amazing pitching of Justin Verlander. Although star catcher Victor Martinez appears to be out for the year with a torn ACL, Fielder should be enough to compensate with some more on top. Last year the Tigers were fourth in the AL in runs scored, third in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, and fourth in slugging percentage. It figures that Fielder will bolster all those categories, save perhaps batting average. Miguel Cabrera (I thought he was the AL MVP last year) and Fielder might be the best 3-4 hitters in baseball next year, and a few more to come.
In the short term this deal is a major boon for the Tigers and the city of Detroit. It replaces the lost Martinez and brings a big star to the city. In the long term however it may hurt them. Fielder is a huge dude who may have health problems and experience a decline in productivity. He's a decent fielder, not great and strikes out a fair amount. If it doesn't work out, a huge chunk of their payroll will be dedicated to someone who is not up to snuff. Long term contracts like this one carry with them a lot of risk.
A deal I compare this to is Alfonso Soriano's (I'm a huge Cubs fan by the way). As it is today, the Cubs find themselves burned by what was the largest deal in franchise history. Soriano's production is way down from his peak, it has been that way for several years, and will continue to be that way for the next three years, meanwhile by 2014 the Cubs will have paid him $136 million over eight years. I do believe however that the Fielder deal is much better for these reasons:
1) Fielder draws walks. Walks are very valuable and tend to stay the same despite age. Soriano has one of the worst batting eyes in the world and rarely draws a walk that isn't intentional.
2) As a teammate, Fielder is highly regarded and will enliven a Detroit clubhouse that has the tools to win a championship. His personality will also excite Tiger fans, who will respond with a whole lotta love for the Prince.
3) Soriano was 31 when the Cubs signed him, as a power hitter and speedster, you don't get better past age 31. In contrast, Fielder, at 27 years old, is four years younger than Soriano was at the time of his signing and is entering the peak of his career. Even if Fielder's production does slow down significantly like Soriano's has, the Tigers will at least have enjoyed several years of peak production from one of the best power hitters in the game and will be able to cut ties with him at age 36, as opposed to the Cubs, who are stuck with Soriano until he is 39.
Time will dictate whether or not this deal was a good one, but my sense (barring terrible injury to Prince) is that it will pay off. The Tigers already had a contending team, and the addition of Prince could push them over the edge.
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