MLB Free Agency: Prince Fielder and 6 Other Contracts Teams Will Regret

Every contract that was handed out this past MLB offseason was handed out by teams with legitimate hopes of improving their respective rosters. 

Unfortunately not every new player will end up benefitting their new team in the long run.

The acquisition of a certain player might actually set a team back, rather than improve it.  This MLB offseason will be no different, as a handful of teams will look back and wonder why they even signed certain players in the first place.

Here is a look at seven new signings that will have their respective teams regretting the decision to sign them.

Prince Fielder

Contract: 9 years, $214 million with Detroit Tigers

Prince Fielder signing a massive nine-year, $214-million contract with the Detroit Tigers was the last major domino to fall in this year’s free agent market. 

The appeal for the Tigers was obvious—the thought of Fielder and Miguel Cabrera batting back-to-back in the Tigers lineup has to be giving  AL Central pitchers nightmares already.

While the image of Cabrera and Fielder on offense has opposing pitchers stirring in their sleep, the image of Cabrera and Fielder playing defense has to give Detroit pitchers their own bad dreams. 

Cabrera has already stated that he will move to playing third base. 

Cabrera committed seven errors in 15 games during his last stint playing at the hot corner.

The trio of Fielder, Cabrera and MVP Justin Verlander is as good as any trio in the league, but will the Tigers have enough money to build a consistent World Series contender around them? 

The combined contracts of the aforementioned trio equal about $60 million per year.

Based on the Tigers' 2011 payroll of $105.7 million, that would leave $45.7 million to spend on the 22 other players to fill the roster.  The payroll is expected to grow in coming years, but it will still be an uphill battle for the Tigers to adequately fill the rest of their roster.

Albert Pujols

Contract: 10 years, $254 million with Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Machine shocked many in the baseball world with his decision to leave the St. Louis Cardinals and sign a 10 year, $254-million contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. 

As with Prince Fielder's, this contract brings the question of whether or not there is enough remaining money to fill out the roster.

A major difference between Fielder and Pujols is that, during the 2012 season, Pujols will be 32 years old and Fielder will only be 28.  By the end of this contract, Pujols will be 42 years old.

How many recent MVP candidates have been older than even 35? 

As great as Pujols is now, he’s getting dangerously close to the decline stage in his career.  A safe estimate gives Pujols three or four years of peak level production.

But after that, it could get ugly. 

By the back end of this deal, will Pujols be worth over $25 million per year?  

Jose Reyes

Contract: 6 years, $111 million with Miami Marlins

After years of being afterthoughts in the free agent market, the Miami Marlins made a splash with the signing of Jose Reyes to a six year, $111-million contract. 

The issue with Reyes has never been talent, but rather his ability to stay healthy. 

Over the past three years, Reyes has missed a combined 191 games due to myriad injuries.  As Reyes reaches the back end of this contract, it would not be surprising to see the injury issues worsen.

The other major issue with this deal is that Reyes plays the same position as Marlins superstar Hanley Ramirez.  The money spent on Reyes could have been better spent on a position that legitimately needed an upgrade.

Heath Bell

Contract: 3 years, $27 million with Miami Marlins

Heath Bell signing a three year, $27-million  deal to go to the Miami Marlins from the San Diego Padres was the last of the Marlins major acquisitions this offseason. 

While Bell had a remarkable stretch as the Padres closer, giving Bell $9 million per year is simply too much.  There were a host of younger, less expensive free agent closers on the market.     

It is also important to remember that Bell is leaving the friendly confines of Petco Park, where his lack of elite pitches played well due to the spacious dimensions. 

When you couple this with the fact that Bell is already 34 years old, you can expect the Marlins to be disappointed by the end of the contract.  

Coco Crisp

Contract: 2 years, $14 million with Oakland Athletics

In the midst of another rebuilding offseason, the Oakland Athletics headline move was resigning outfielder Coco Crisp for two years and $14 million. 

The Athletics traded or failed to resign the majority of the players from last years' roster, so it was a bit surprising to see them resign Crisp who—by his standards—endured a down year. 

Crisp, at his current age of 31, is a decent outfielder who isn’t going to get much better. 

Even if Crisp rebounds from last season, the Athletics aren’t contending for anything in the near future. 

For a team with payroll issues, spending $7 million per season on a mediocre outfielder makes little sense.  

Michael Cuddyer

Contract: 3 years, $31.5 million with Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies big move of the offseason was inking former Twin Michael Cuddyer to a three-year deal worth $31.5 million. 

Cuddyer has been a solid, consistent player for the past seven years, but what you see is what you are going to get. 

For $10.5 million per year, your going to want someone that puts up numbers better than your average Cuddyer season of .270 with 20 home runs. 

If Cuddyer was entering his prime and was showing flashes of bigger things to come, this might be a different story.

As it is, Cuddyer is 32 years old and more than likely will be declining as a player. 

Another issue is that Cuddyer is a below-average defender who lacks a true defensive position.

Carlos Beltran

Contract: 2 years, $26 million with St. Louis Cardinals

As partial means of filling the hole that Albert Pujols left in St. Louis, the Cardinals reached a two-year, $26 million contract with free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran.  

Beltran has seen decline in recent years, most noticeably on defense and on the bases.  While the hitting has remained relatively strong, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Beltran’s offensive numbers decline in the coming seasons. 

Part of the decline in Beltran’s game has been caused by injuries, which is why it was expected that Beltran would join an AL team were he could become the designated hitter. 

Expecting Beltran to be a key contributor as an everyday outfielder in the revamped Cardinal attack might be asking too much.