Prince Fielder Contract: Tigers Overpaid for Albert Pujols Consolation Prize

The last remaining big-name MLB free agent has officially signed a contract.

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman is reporting that Prince Fielder is on his way to the Detroit Tigers:

Officially it's for nine years and $214 million. Now that is a mega deal…a mega deal that makes absolutely no sense.

It was only a week ago when the Tigers said they weren't going down this road, but suddenly now they have a change of heart? What exactly changed? If you aren’t 100 percent sold on a player you are about to toss $214 million at…don’t pull the trigger.

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal has reported this is the fourth-biggest contract in the history of the sport, behind the two Alex Rodriguez signed and last month’s deal for Albert Pujols.

Speaking of Pujols, doesn’t this deal Fielder deal feel like a consolation prize? The difference between the two is significant, and the Pujols deal is essentially the same money with an additional year.

Fielder puts up strong stats (.299, 38 HR, 120 RBI in ’11), but Pujols is the best in the game. Sure there is a four-year age difference in favor of Fielder, but there is also a "three-time MVP, two-time World Series champion" difference.

Another bizarre situation that is now developing is what to do with current first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Heyman can already confirm that Fielder will be playing first, so that leaves the face of the franchise without a position.

This is a tough pill to swallow for Cabrera, who is coming off a season in which he hit .344 while crushing 30 home runs and 105 RBI. Now they risk alienating a player that’s only 28, and has been incredibly productive in his four years as a Tiger.

Presumably he’ll be taking over for the DH spot for the injured Victor Martinez, but it’s a shame because Cabrera has a sturdy glove. He does have experience in left field and third base, but I doubt he’s going to be very happy about any move in position. Considering Martinez is owed money through 2014, DH isn’t the answer for Miggie.

That means this $214 million decision has given them a nice problem, but a problem nonetheless. Tigers fans should hope management has already spoken to Cabrera about this, or this could turn into the Hanley Ramirez-Jose Reyes drama of the American League.

The final issue I have with the deal involves history. His father Cecil, whom he never speaks with, played with the Tigers. Prince despises answering questions about it, and now he’ll be forced to talk about it a lot more often. In a way he’s following in his father’s footsteps.  

Overall it’s a deal that has shocked the baseball world and has brought up more questions than answers. Obviously the Tigers are going to be a better team in 2012, but with the physique and wear-and-tear on Fielder’s body, is he going to be worth $23.7 million in 2021?

This is clearly a move with two eyes on the present and little thought on the long-term flexibility of the payroll.

The Tigers better win a World Series in the next 3-4 years, or this is going to go down as one of the worst contracts in professional sports.