It’s being reported by multiple sources that Prince Fielder is “very close” to a nine-year, $214 million deal with the Detroit Tigers. Tim Brown of Yahoo! had it first. UPDATE: The Associated Press reports that it’s a done deal.
This is really off-the-wall. Partially because (a) the Tigers just last week said they weren’t going to go down that road; (b) the Tigers already have an all-world first baseman in Miguel Cabrera and, after this year anyway, a really good DH in Victor Martinez to whom they owe a lot of money through 2014; (c) Prince Fielder doesn’t get along with his dad, and if he goes to Detroit he’s going to get Cecil Fielder questions all the time.
Miguel Cabrera isn’t going to DH. Prince Fielder said he doesn’t want to. I also assume that we are well past the days when Cabrera can play third base. How does this work?
UPDATE: Jon Heyman is reporting that Fielder would be the starting first baseman. That means Cabrera is likely the DH. No clue what happens when V-Mart is back in 2013.
I suppose that’s Jim Leyland’s problem. And, at least offensively speaking, it’s not a bad problem to have. Pairing Fielder up with Cabrera in the middle of that lineup is a huge improvement to what Detroit had going in the wake of Victor Martinez’s ACL injury. And adding one of the best hitters in baseball to a team that won its division by 15 games last season almost assures them of doing do again.
Doesn’t it?
