Prince Fielder to Detroit: Should the Brewers Have Kept Fielder over Ryan Braun?

The Milwaukee Brewers were given an ultimatum at the beginning of the 2011 season. They possessed two of the best hitters in all of baseball (Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder) but could only keep one of them.

Fielder was an elite home run hitter that could possibly hit Bernie Brewer's slide at Miller Park someday. Braun was an elite all-around hitter that someday could make a run at the Triple Crown. So who would the Brewers decide to spend money on?

In mid-April it seemed like the decision was made. The Brewers had signed Ryan Braun to a new extension that would keep him in Milwaukee until 2020. With the huge financial investment towards Braun, the Brewers could no longer realistically keep Fielder.

The soap opera played out during Milwaukee's run to the National League Championship Series, and when the smoke cleared Braun was named the 2011 NL Most Valuable Player. Things were looking up as Fielder had one foot out the door.

Then came "The Test."

Ryan Braun had failed a drug test administered by Major League Baseball in October. According to the ESPN Outside the Lines Report, Braun had elevated levels of testosterone in a urine sample. Suddenly, Braun was labeled a cheater as Fielder signed a nine-year, $212 million contract with the Detroit Tigers.

So, with what we know about Fielder and Braun now, it begs the question whether the Brewers kept the right guy.

One could argue that if the Brewers kept Fielder, the impact on their lineup would have been the same. In a 162-game average of their career stats, Braun's batting average is higher than Fielder's (.312 to .282) but the power numbers would have remained the same.

In an average season, Braun hits 36 home runs and drives in 118. Fielder actually hits 37 HRs on average, but drives in 106, which could be because Braun was hitting ahead of him in the lineup.

Also, when comparing the two players' OPS, Braun has just a three-point advantage over Fielder (.932 over .929). In other words, not only can both players hit, they can both get on base.

The kicker is now Braun's image. While Braun has not been proven guilty of taking a banned substance as of yet, would Milwaukee have been better off had it decided to extend Fielder's contract and let Braun walk when he was due for free agency after the 2015 season?

We won't know the real answer in a couple years. There are too many variables right now, such as Comerica Park gobbling up left-handed hitters (most HRs in a season by a left-hander is 14), and the results of Braun's appeal. However, as of right now, it's a good question to ask.