In a shocking blockbuster trade, the Detroit Tigers have traded their $200 million dollar man Prince Fielder along with a reported $30 million to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Ian Kinsler. The rumors this morning were swirling around this afternoon were quickly confirmed by CBS’ Jon Heyman.
The Rangers had pushed hard for the UFA Fielder when he hit the open market in 2011, but Texas front office didn’t believe that he was worth the nine-year contract worth $214 million he ended up signing in Detroit. The willingness of Texas to take on all of Fielder’s remaining contract may stem from the cash they are pocketing from a lucrative TV deal the team signed in 2010.
From Texas’ viewpoint, moving Kinsler is a good idea by way of making future superstar second baseman Jurickson Profar an everyday player and solidifying shortstop Elivs Andrus’ spot on the team for the future. Fielder will presumably play first base and alternate at DH. Prince posted one of his worst seasons last year, batting .279, an OBP of .362, and slugging .457. All significant drops from the season prior, including his career averages. Not to mention his poor play in the post-season, this makes for a somewhat risky move for Texas. Fielder has been incredibly consistent in his career before last year, and maybe a shift in environment can help his play at the plate. Also, the ballpark in Arlington is very forgiving for batters.
As for Detroit, unloading the future commitment of Fielders guaranteed money is definitely a good thing, and although Fielder is obviously the superior player, the money that’s opened up for the Tigers to spend now is valuable. This move most likely takes reigning Cy Young winner Max Scherzer off the trade block, and an extension for him could be imminent. The one thing this trade does is it moves one of the best players on the planet back to his normal first base position. Injuries plagued Cabrera’s season, and a move back to first will help his injury concerns in the long term. As for who will play third base now, look for Nick Castellanos to fill the gap, although a trade isn’t that hard to fathom.
This is definitely one of the biggest trades in a while, and it continues to prove that big contracts early in there years are movable, for the right price. As for who “won” the trade, only time will tell. The dreaded one-two punch of Cabrera-Fielder is now dead.
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