Jeff Riger: A Really Dumb Idea That Just Could Work
OK, here is what we know...
Victor Martinez is essentially out for the season and that stings, severely!
So what is Detroit going to do to make up for a guy who hit .330 last season and drove in 103 runs? Also let's not forget that V-Mart is one of the better so-called "Clubhouse" guys out there, so that too will be hard to replace.
Well, I have an idea that may sound very dumb. But maybe it's just dumb enough to work.
The rumblings have already started that Detroit should go out and get Prince Fielder, the only true superstar free agent left on the market -- and I fully agree. Of course, people will point out the type of money and commitment that it will take to get a player like Fielder, and both those things are valid points. Why would the Tigers offer Prince a long-term deal worth a ton of money when this team doesn't need another DH or first baseman?
However, they sure could use one this upcoming season.
Of course, there is also the statement from Dave Dombrowski saying that the Tigers can only afford a couple of $20 million players and right now they have met that quota, so the son of Cecil must truly be out of the question.
Or maybe not...
Here is another option...
Why not offer Fielder a one-year deal? Before you call me awful names I ask you to remember that at the very start of this blog I said this was a dumb idea, but it could work. Let me explain.
Fielder is a stud! Since 2006, the year that he became a full-time player, he has at least hit 28 homers in every season. The big man also drives in over 100 RBI on an annual basis. In 2011, he had 120 of them and 38 long balls as well. There is no better replacement for Martinez out there!
And if it's the large build of Fielder that bothers you, don't let it fool you, he maybe "big boned" but he was also the only player in the Majors last year to play in all of the Brewers 162 games.
I would assume Fielder himself is shocked that he is still a free agent. With the numbers this guy is capable of, he had to have thought he would have been picked up by now. But he hasn't been. Rumor has it that" camp Prince" is waiting on the Rangers because he doesn't want to be a National. Seattle was also thought to have been an option but the Mariners just traded one of their prize young pitchers for Jesus Monterro, so they are out of the picture. The Cubs might have had interest as well at one point, but Chicago too has moved on to other options.
So again things seem to come down to the Rangers and if they will offer Fielder the kind of deal he is looking for. However, Texas is trying to sign Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, and if they do, which it now looks like they will, can they also afford Fielder? If not, Prince would be forced to go to Washington, a place he obviously wants no part in.
So wouldn't Fielder at least think about a one-year deal?
We are less than a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting and in the history of the game no mammoth 9 figure, multiyear deal has ever been agreed to after the month of December, and thus another reason a one year deal could work!
Is the idea now becoming a little smarter? Wait, is that even a word? Who cares, I have more!
Fielder is 27 years old and has still yet to enter the prime of his career. The Tigers have a lot of money coming off the books as Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen are gone and insurance will pay for the majority of money that they are paying Martinez.
The Tigers could offer Fielder a massive one year deal, knowing full well he would be gone next season. If this were to happen, both sides would win!
Detroit would have their replacement for V-Mart while Prince would have a 6 month GIANT pay day, knowing full well he could hit free agency again after 2012 and maybe things would work out better for him. In the meantime, Fielder would have a chance to win a World Series, something that cannot be said if he were to go to the Nationals or elsewhere.
Can you imagine a lineup where Fielder and Miguel Cabrera hit back to back? It would be a pitchers nightmare. Fielder is also a left handed hitter, something that Detroit has always been in need of. And the odds of a lefty hitting a lot of homers at Comerica are much greater than a right handers chances. Fielder's offensive stats actually go down when he faces left handed pitchers, but there are really none in the AL Central which is another reason that this would be the perfect marriage. Also this would be another contract year for Prince, meaning he would have to play well to get a huge deal in the offseason, something that again help both sides.
Fielder also is a Scott Boris client. Detroit and Boris have a history, a relationship that might help the Tigers land Fielder for just the one season.
If Fielder's dream free agency scenario was out there, it would have already happened. Will teams even offer him the absolute best deal considering he is still on the market and could be seen as borderline desperate. Why not take the next best thing, a one year deal with Detroit worth a lot of money? Every player looks forward to being a free agent, why not do it in back to back years like Fielder could if this scenario were to actually play out. Plus as of now there are not a whole lot of first basemen free agent options next season, so maybe Fielder's fortunes could change if he hits the market again.
As for how much money it would take to get Cecil's kid for a year? How about 23 to 25 million? No way could Fielder turn that down and the Tigers would only have to pay it for one season before Martinez comes back.
So what do you think? Does a one year deal still sound so dumb? Seems like the perfect scenario to me!
Bring Prince to Detroit and a World Championship will follow.
