Breaking Down Potential Domino Effects of Early MLB Offseason Moves

If there were any doubts that the MLB offseason was in full swing, the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers laid them to rest with Wednesday's blockbuster trade involving Prince Fielder and Ian Kinsler.

This week has also been marked by a few high-profile signings that have set the stage for other negotiations around the league. Let's take a look at some of the biggest moves so far and how they figure to shape the rest of the winter.

Rangers Acquire 1B Prince Fielder for 2B Ian Kinsler, Cash

The Rangers love power bats, and they added one of the premier slugging first basemen of the past decade in Prince Fielder on Wednesday. As first reported by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Texas received Prince Fielder and $30 million from Detroit in exchange for second baseman Ian Kinsler.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said this deal took less than 48 hours to come together:

With the cash from Detroit, the Rangers now owe Fielder $138 million over the next seven seasons, which could be a relative bargain with the way the prices are rising on the free-agent market.

Fielder was still productive in 2013, posting a .279/.362/.457 slash line with 25 home runs and 106 RBI—figures that were lower than his usual numbers in previous seasons but still impressive. Furthermore, since becoming an everyday player in 2006, he's hit .286/390/.528 with annual averages of 35 HR and 108 RBI.

Fielder, 29, has also been one of baseball’s most durable players in that time, playing 162 games in three straight years and missing just 13 contests since 2006. With the short porch in right field and warm weather in Arlington, he figures to put up some big numbers for the Rangers over the next few seasons.

The trade of Kinsler also eases the logjam in the middle of Texas' infield, freeing up a full-time position for Jurickson Profar, who struggled at the plate last year despite entering the year as the top prospect in all of baseball. Profar and shortstop Elvis Andrus, who is under contract until 2022, figure to be a double-play combination for a long time.

While Detroit’s lineup won’t have the same intimidation factor without Fielder batting behind two-time reigning MVP Miguel Cabrera, the trade actually helped the Tigers in two major areas.

With Omar Infante testing free agency, the team needed a second baseman. Kinsler, 31, steps right in as a productive every day starter after batting .277/.344/.413 with 13 homers and 72 RBI in 2013. While he still has a sizeable contract left (four years, $62 million), it’s still considerably less than what the team owed Fielder.

When you consider the $30 million that the team also shipped to Texas, the Tigers are essentially paying $92 million for four years of Kinsler. That’s still $76 million less than the $168 million Fielder is owed for the duration of his contract, freeing up some room for the team to try and re-sign Max Scherzer next winter.

As a client of agent Scott Boras, Scherzer isn’t expected to try and re-negotiate a deal until he’s a free agent, despite recently declaring that his preference was to stay in Detroit. Dombrowski said the team will make it a priority to re-sign Scherzer following the 2014 season, per Nightengale:

With Fielder gone from first base, Nightengale also tweeted that the Tigers will also consider moving Miguel Cabrera to first base full-time, which will result in less wear and tear on the 30-year-old superstar. Cabrera is also due for a new contract following the 2015 season, and Detroit would appear to have the inside track for one of the greatest hitters of this generation.

But that move would also create a hole at third base for Detroit, who could look to add a veteran free agent like Juan Uribe to fill the void.

Even though Texas takes on some added salary with the addition of Fielder, David Schoenfield of ESPN.com said it's possible that the Rangers could still add prized free agent second baseman Robinson Cano.

Just the thought of an infield with Fielder, Cano, Andrus and Adrian Beltre should get Rangers fans excited.

Carlos Ruiz Re-Signs with Philadelphia

This year’s free-agent market is stocked with slugging catchers, and Carlos Ruiz did them all a favor by negotiating a three-year, $26 million extension with the Philadelphia Phillies.

It comes after Ruiz played in just 92 games in 2013 and batted .268/.320/.368 with five HR and 37 RBI. His best year came in 2012, when he posted a slash line of .325/.395/.540 with 16 homers and 68 RBI while being named to his first All-Star team. And though his presence behind the plate on defense is valuable, this was a much bigger commitment than most anticipated.

An agent and a general manger each told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that they suspected Ruiz would sign a one-year deal worth about $8 million. Ruiz’s ability to secure a sizeable three-year deal despite turning 35 in January is encouraging to players like Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

According to Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston, the Boston Red Sox reportedly offered Saltalamacchia a two-year deal earlier this offseason, but the catcher declined. That’s looking like a smart move for the 28-year-old who batted .273/.338/.466 with 14 HR and 65 RBI in 2013. He’s a more attractive option than Ruiz given his age, and he should be able to point to Ruiz’s deal as a baseline to begin negotiations with other teams.

Don’t be surprised if Saltalamacchia now reaches a long-term deal that exceeds the $10-million mark annually. Top free-agent catcher Brian McCann was already in line for a nice payday, but even he could see a pay bump because of Ruiz’s big deal.

Tim Hudson, Josh Johnson Join New Teams

Despite suffering a serious ankle injury with the Atlanta Braves in 2013, 38-year-old Tim Hudson was able to sign a two-year, $23 million deal with the San Francisco Giants that brings him back to the Bay Area but keeps him in the National League.

Hudson began his career with the Oakland, where he pitched with the A’s from 1999-2004, and the veteran right-hander said general manager Billy Beane drove a tough bargain to bring him back to the Coliseum, per Buster Olney of ESPN:

Ultimately, the Giants won out and were able to ink Hudson, who is the active leader in wins (205) for a right-hander, along with his career 3.44 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.

Hudson’s contract is a big one for a pitcher of his age coming off such a serious injury, but this is the same Giants team that agreed to a questionable two-year, $35 million deal with the mercurial Tim Lincecum this offseason. As such, other general managers trying to sign pitching might point to the Giants as over-spenders at the negotiating table, rather than use those deals as benchmarks for the market.

Josh Johnson’s one-year, $8 million accord with the San Diego Padres is pretty much on par with what Heyman and his sources predicted. Johnson is coming off a down year with the Toronto Blue Jays (2-8, 6.20 ERA, 1.66 WHIP) but showed immense potential during the 2009-10 seasons when he went a combined 26-11 with an 2.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and a K/9 rate of 8.6.

There are a plenty of short-term deal pitching candidates out there like Bronson Arroyo, Hiroki Kuroda and Bartolo Colon who figure to receive similar deals in the coming weeks.