Does Prince Fielder-Ian Kinsler Trade Mean Max Scherzer Is Staying in Detroit?

The biggest move of the offseason so far was noteworthy solely based on the two All-Stars involved, but there's plenty of intrigue that extends to other players beyond just Prince Fielder and Ian Kinsler.

Like, say, the reigning American League Cy Young winner.

In the wake of Wednesday night's swap that sent Fielder to the Texas Rangers and Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers, all sorts of questions are being asked about how the transaction impacts both sides.

For instance: How does Detroit replace Fielder's middle-of-the-order bat? Is Rangers youngster Jurickson Profar ready to handle the now-available starting second base job? Does this mean two-time Most Valuable Player Miguel Cabrera will be shifting back to first base, and if so, would the Tigers return top prospect Nick Castellanos to third?

But perhaps the most important question is: Will the Tigers now be able to sign Max Scherzer to a long-term extension?

The 29-year-old right-hander is fresh off earning hardware for a season in which he established career-highs in everything from ERA (2.90) to WHIP (0.97), from innings pitched (214.1) to strikeouts (240). For what it's worth, he even won 21 games—most in the majors.

And yet, Scherzer's name actually came up in trade rumors as recently as last week, mainly because he's set to hit free agency after next season.

Whether the Tigers actually were considering the possibility of trading arguably their top pitcher seemed unlikely, given their status as World Series contenders. Now? That scenario just may have gone from unlikely to unfathomable.

Even after forking over $30 million to the Rangers as a part of the Fielder-Kinsler deal, Detroit has freed itself from a massive contract that would have made signing Scherzer to an extension a risky proposition that would have pushed the payroll to its very limits.

"It makes it perhaps more possible," general manager Dave Dombrowski said about the idea of offering Scherzer a contract, according to Josh Slagter of MLive. "We're in a situation where we have a lot of stars on our club. You can only be in a position where you have so many of those types of players. Does it make it probable? I could not say that. It gives us more flexibility as we move forward."

While Kinsler is owed $57 million for four more years, Fielder is due a hefty $168 million over the next seven seasons.

The other factor to consider here with regards to the $30 million payout is that it doesn't take effect until 2016, as Jason Beck of MLB.com reported. In other words, the Tigers are saving up to $8 million each of the next two years, simply by swapping out Fielder's 2014 and 2015 salaries for Kinsler's.

That money could be put to any number of uses, including the signing of a free agent or two this winter (Joe Nathan, anyone?). But it's just as likely that Detroit will pony up for Scherzer, who already has made it known that he would love to stay, as he recently told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick:

"

I got a great thing going in Detroit, we have a great team. I hope they don't mess with it. I want to be a Detroit Tiger and hopefully get back to the playoffs and try to do the ultimate goal and win something for the city of Detroit.

"

Dombrowski, who orchestrated this latest maneuver to help clear up some of the financial burden and address the hole at second base created by Omar Infante's free agency, echoed Scherzer's statement: "We like Max, and he likes Detroit. We'll see what happens."

There are other factors to consider here, though. For one, Scherzer is represented by agent Scott Boras, who typically advises his clients to test their worth on the open market, especially in the case of an elite arm like Scherzer, who is less than a year from what would surely be a bidding war that could land him a contract well north of $100 million.

To Boras' credit, he did acknowledge that a long-term deal could be worked out sooner rather than later:

"

They know Max likes it there. We would have to sit down and talk about their plans for the future. But when you have a player who likes playing where he's playing and an ownership that has been what Mike Ilitch has been in Detroit, it's certainly something we would listen to.

"

There's also the looming question of what Detroit plans to do with Cabrera, the back-to-back MVP who is far and away the biggest bat in the lineup now that Fielder is gone. The 30-year-old's contract is up after 2015.

It might be an either-or decision for Dombrowski when it comes to Scherzer and Cabrera, given that both will command nine figure pacts.

There is, though, even more payroll relief to come. Following 2014, outfielder Torii Hunter and designated hitter Victor Martinez, both of whom are in their mid- to late-30s, will no longer be under contract. That will free up another $26 million between the two of them.

While it's not a foregone conclusion that trading Fielder's big bat and even bigger contract will keep Scherzer in Detroit for the long haul, let's just say the Tigers don't seem to be talking about trading their stud starter anymore.