One thing about baseball thatyou have to love is the willingness to make deals. In other sports they pull the trigger on the trade pretty frequently, but not like in baseball. To quote the great Ted Dibiase, “everybody has a price.” This is especially true when it comes to the world of baseball.
During Wednesday night the Tigers and Rangers brought some light to the baseball world as they swapped star players. 1B/DH Prince Fielder is the big fish of this deal because of his track record and HUGE contract.
The Texas Rangers received 1B/DH Prince Fielder and $30 million cash and the Detroit Tigers received 2B Ian Kinsler.
This deal will give the Tigers more financial flexibility and the Rangers a big left handed bat in the middle of the lineup. Fielder is heading into the 3rd year of his 9 year $214 million deal. The Rangers will be on the hook for $138 million over the next 7 years because the Tigers are paying $30 million due to the trade agreement. Kinsler is only owed $62 million over the next 4 years, netting the Tigers over $40 million in savings. This deal will allow them the possibility to lock up Cy Young winning pitcher Max Scherzer long term.
I think this deal will help both teams. Rangers Ballpark is a hitter’s field which is a plus for Fielder. The Tigers will have a dependable second basemen and more financial wiggle room to lock down some of their current stars. Only time will tell who will win long term, but as of right now they both seem to be winners.
This trade is gonna be on the TRich trade level. Great for the Tigers and horrible for the Rangers. It looks like it fills a huge need (power bat) but that Rangers ignore the obvious. He’s now overrated and value is falsely inflated.