Because You Wanted a 2nd Opinion

After months of speculation of where he would end up Prince Fielder has signed with the Detroit Tigers. With news of Victor Martinez tearing his ACL the Tigers were in need of replacement and instead of finding a replacement for the season they went out and got a 9 year, $214-million one. Fielder announced before the end of the season he was not returning to the Milwaukee Brewers so the move was inevitable, the destination is a surprise.

Fielder was originally speculated to go the Anaheim Angels but when the Angels reeled in Albert Pujols, Fielder was then speculated to go to the Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals or Seattle Mariners. The Rangers would have made the most sense for Fielder considering he would have great protection in the lineup (any combination of Hamilton, Beltre or Cruz) and the baseball just flies out of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Although Prince is a great hitter and joining Miguel Cabrera is a great 3-4 combo, I don’t think there are enough weapons surrounding the other parts of the lineup. Even when Martinez comes back it is a great 3-4-5 combo, but the two guys at the top of the lineup are lack luster at best. Austin Jackson is an offensive underachiever, .249 avg. 331 obp. 181K’s and 22 SB. Defensively Jackson is one of the league’s best center fielders, but the Tigers need some more production from the top of the lineup to maximize the production of a guy like Fielder.

An interesting fact is Fielder is going back to where his dad, Cecil, played for six seasons. Both men no longer speak to each other as Cecil wanted a portion of Prince’s first contract for assisting in negotiations. Personally, I feel that not only the money was enough for Prince, but the allure of being better than his dad in the same city was something Prince did not want to pass up. Only time will tell how well Prince will perform and if an average salary of $23-million for a player who can be a defensive liability was way too much to pay.