Reports say that Prince Fielder is coming to the Detroit Tigers. Rumor has it that the deal will be nine years for $214 million. Prince Fielder is a three-time all-star first basemen. He has played his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers, but now he will play on the team that made his father, Cecil Fielder, famous.
Fielder will likely play DH for the Detroit Tigers if he is signed. Victor Martinez, the Tigers’ full-time designated hitter, is already likely out for the 2012 season with a torn ACL that he suffered during offseason work outs. Fielder will provide protection for one of the best players in baseball, Miguel Cabrera. The two will be possibly the most dangerous 1-2 punch in Major League Baseball.
Fielder is the biggest name remaining on the free agent market. The nine-year, $214 million deal that has been proposed to Fielder by the Tigers is comparable to the 10-year, $254 million contract that Albert Pujols signed for the Angels earlier this offseason. The big difference between Pujols and Fielder is the age difference. Fielder is only 27 and Pujols is 32 years old if his birth certificate is accurate. Fielder’s contract will expire when he is 36 years old, giving the Detroit Tigers his absolute prime years, while Pujols will be 42 years old when his contract expires which could be a huge drain on the Angels.
Fielder will enter the 2012 season as an established star in the major leagues. He led the league with 50 home runs in 2007. His best season was probably in 2009 when he hit 46 home runs with 141 runs batted in and a .299 batting average. Prince Fielder came in fourth in MVP voting that season. He followed that up with two more solid seasons. Last year he had 38 home runs and 120 runs batted in while batting .299. That was good enough to get him third place in MVP voting.
In the future look for Cabrera to possibly move to third base in order to make room for both Martinez and Fielder in the Tigers’ lineup. Having these three all-stars in the center of the lineup along with MVP Justin Verlander on the mound will make the Tigers perennial playoff contenders. If the Tigers’ youthful outfield of Brandon Boesch, Delmon Young, and Austin Jackson steps up, the 2012 Detroit offense will be very exciting to watch.