Jeff Riger: Tigers Getting Prince Fielder Is UNBELIEVABLE!
I, like everybody else right now, am in total shock. Sure, I wanted Prince Fielder to be a Tiger and I even wrote a blog last week trying to figure out a way to make that happen. I suggested that Prince and the Tigers agree to a one- year deal, where Fielder could once again test the free agent waters going into the 2013 season. As usual I was laughed at and called bad names, but I thought a one-year deal would be the only way the Tigers could land the 27 -year-old. I did feel some vindication this morning when I saw Buster Olney from ESPN tweet that he heard speculation that a one-year deal would work with the Tigers and Fielder. I thought to myself, "I wonder how many people are calling him names?"
But this is ridiculous.
In case you have just awoken from the dead and have not heard yet, the Tigers have reportedly inked Fielder to a 9 year, $214 million contract. If you have to read that last sentence again, I understand, I have read it at least 100 times myself trying to get this to sink in. There are so many possibilities now that Fielder is a Tiger and so many unanswered questions, as well.
Below I have listed my top 3 questions about this deal and I have tried to answer them as well.
3. What role did Mike Ilitch play in this deal?
The answer here is a major, minor and every other role possible. The only scenario that makes sense to me is that Ilitch went to Dave Dombrowski and demanded that he make Prince a Tiger. There is no way this would be the idea of the general manager. I'm sure Dombrowski checked the market when Victor Martinez was injured, but was pretty confident that Fielder was not an option. Dombrowski probably doesn't even think this is a good idea. He might have even advised Ilitch against it, but he won't win that argument. If this deal, for whatever reason doesn't work out, this could set Detroit back for years. This is stuff that fans think of, this is fantasy baseball material, and this is not responsible! Detroit already has the best first baseman in the game and now they go out and get potentially the second best. This is the Yankees way of doing business, not Detroit's! But you HAVE to LOVE it!
Think about it! Ilitch is doing great. He essentially owns the city of Detroit, he is making money off his casinos, sports teams and pizza and he has never won a World Series, something that he so desperately wants. Last time I checked Ilitch is in his 80's and money is no issue for him, obviously. The Little Caesar himself has enough money to make sure his great, great, great, great, great grandchildren don't have to work if they don't want to and he has given back plenty to the community as well. So why not do something for himself? People treat themselves to dinners, clothes and even on a grander scale big screen TV's and cars. This is no different, except for the fact that Ilitch is treating himself to the most dominant left handed hitting first basemen on the market. What is 214 million dollars to the man that has everything? Nothing! But a World Series is priceless!
2. Where does Prince play?
From the get-go, the reason a deal like this made no sense is because Detroit already employs Miguel Cabrera. Getting another first baseman, no matter what side of the plate he hits from, is purely sports radio chatter and nothing more. Well, apparently not -- It just really happened! Yeah, I can't over it either.
But here is what we know. Fielder has said in the past that he doesn't want to be a designated hitter, even though he has the physique of one. I have never asked Miggy, but I would assume he would rather not DH either. So what gives? Well, the rumor right now is that Cabrera will move back to third base, a position he played just 14 games at in 2008 with Detroit before being moved to first. In those 14 games, Cabrera did make 14 errors, however in 2007; Miggy played 153 games at the hot corner while committing 23 mistakes. This season with V-Mart being out, one could assume that Prince and Miggy could platoon at 1st while Brandon Inge or Don Kelly handles the duties at third. But this is a nine-year deal; the team has to figure out something way more permanent than that.
I think when spring training starts in late February; Miggy will start taking practice again at third base and by opening day will be the Tigers starter at the position. If this were to actually work, can you imagine how powerful this team would be? They would have Cabrera and Fielder hitting back-to-back, plus they will have an everyday firstt basemen and third basemen -- and then when Martinez comes back in 2013, he can go back to being the DH for the final two years of his deal. It is the dream scenario! Will it work? I have no idea, but I would assume that is what the plan is. Even if Cabrera turns out to be a defensive liability at third, I would hope his offensive production would make up for it.
1. Why would Fielder come here?
For the longest time we heard the stories that Prince hates his dad Cecil. And I think he does! But what does the fact that Big Daddy played here have to do with Prince? Nothing! Sure, Fielder will have to answer questions at his press conference about his father, the same questions that he refused to answer when he came to town as a Brewer. But things are different now. Back than Prince wasn't getting paid to answer such questions, now he has 214 million reasons to just deal with them.
Like I said in my last blog, Prince Fielder plus Detroit equals a World Series. Now the only question is, "What time is the parade?"
