Prince Fielder: Star Slugger Reportedly Reaches Agreement with Detroit Tigers

Slugging free agent first baseman Prince Fielder has agreed to terms with the Detroit Tigers on a nine-year contract worth $214 million, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports:

Fielder spent the first seven years of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers, slugging 230 home runs and driving in 656 runs. He finished third in the National League MVP voting in 2011.

What Does It Mean?

The phrase "out of left field" comes to mind. There have been all sorts of teams rumored to be interested in Fielder in the last couple months, but the Tigers have never been a major part of the discussion.

If their plan all along was to enter the sweepstakes at the last minute, it clearly worked. For that, you have to tip your cap to Tigers general manager David Dombrowski. He played this very well.

In terms of what Fielder brings to the Tigers, it goes without saying that he brings one of the best power bats in the major leagues. His thunder will more than make up for the loss of Victor Martinez, who tore his ACL doing offseason workouts.

What Happens Next?

If there's one problem with the Fielder signing, it's that the Tigers now have something of a logjam at first base. They already have a slugging first baseman in Miguel Cabrera, and he's signed through 2015.

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the Tigers already have it figured out:

Cabrera could either move back to third base or settle into a role as Detroit's designated hitter. My best guess is that he'll be used primarily at DH, as the Tigers would have a pretty terrible defensive infield if they played Cabrera and Fielder at the corners.

Regardless, one thing we do know is that the middle of Detroit's order is going to be very scary for the next couple seasons. Having to face Fielder and Cabrera back-to-back is arguably more frightening than having to face Fielder and Ryan Braun back-to-back.

And that's saying something.