Prince Fielder
- Thread starter Factorial
- Start date
Re: Prince Fielder
Detroit needed help after the loss of Victor Martinez.
Detroit needed help after the loss of Victor Martinez.
mrbowling300
EOG Dedicated
Re: Prince Fielder
Here is some prospective from Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News
Here is some prospective from Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News
This is as big as it gets, as stunning as it gets, as resounding as it gets. And the truth is, we probably shouldn't be shocked anymore.
Tigers owner Mike Ilitch said he would do this, whatever it took, whoever was willing to listen. And here it came Tuesday, a blast that rocked the baseball world, as the Tigers landed free-agent star Prince Fielder with an expected nine-year, $214 million contract.
Go big, go now, or go home. That's the philosophy for Ilitch's Tigers these days, with the owner openly wondering how long he can wait for a World Series championship. From the disaster of the Victor Martinez season-ending knee injury, the Tigers extracted an incredible boost. I dare say, Ilitch delivered something we've almost never seen in Detroit sports history ? a free-agent superstar in his prime added to an established contender.
Everyone questioned how they'd possibly replace Martinez. The free-agent pickings were slim, outside of Fielder, and Ilitch saw what others saw. GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland downplayed last week any notion of going after Fielder, so you know where the mandate and commitment originated.
There's still plenty to figure out with the arrival of Fielder, son of former Tigers great Cecil Fielder. He's a first baseman, which happens to be the position manned by Tigers superstar Miguel Cabrera, who surely was kept informed of the situation. Cabrera could move to third. Or Cabrera, 27, and Fielder, 27, could share first and designated hitter. Heck, Cabrera's a good-enough athlete, maybe he'd take a shot at left field.
Leyland will figure it out, and after facing the worst possible problem ? replacing Martinez ? the Tigers now have the best possible problem. We should have seen it coming, honestly. Never underestimate Ilitch's competitive streak, or his willingness to work with agent Scott Boras, or his eagerness to call a shot. They have served each other's needs, with Boras handling high-profile clients and Ilitch always interested in stars.
So while others speculated about signing Juan Pierre or Johnny Damon, or just waiting, I bet Ilitch sat in the big office and reiterated what he said to me during the Tigers' playoff run a few months ago ? no more waiting.
"What I'm still trying to figure out is what we need for next year," Ilitch told me in a lengthy interview. "I want to be in a position to make one or two additions, and generally, they're pretty big additions.
"So you could add a couple of big-time players?
"Yes, I'm already thinking about that," he said. "Can you imagine another big bat in our lineup?
"It's still hard to imagine, Cabrera and Fielder back-to-back and side-by-side. It's a duo unmatched in baseball, with Cabrera the reigning A.L. batting champion and Fielder an annual MVP candidate, coming off a season in Milwaukee in which he hit .299 with 38 home runs and 120 RBIs. Fielder led the N.L. in home runs with 50 in 2007 and RBIs with 141 in 2009.
He was the preeminent free agent available once Albert Pujols leaped from the Cardinals to the Angels. Fielder is a left-handed-hitting slugger who boosts and balances the lineup at the same time.
And the thing is, this isn't just a showy attempt to load a roster and hope for success. The Tigers also have the pitching, with MVP Justin Verlander at the top of the rotation.
This is a headstrong attempt to win it all from an owner who's 82 and feisty as ever, and was willing to fork over $23.8 million per season for his best shot yet. From a financial standpoint, it's a risk. From a talent standpoint, it makes great sense.
"If I don't get (a World Series championship), I'll feel something was a little empty in my life," he said in late September. "Usually, I get what I want.
"Ilitch has talked about his mortality, although he's healthy. A former minor league baseball player, he craves major league success to match his wild success with the Red Wings. In hockey, Ilitch's preferred path was to sign stars, a tack he now takes in baseball.
Even still, the Tigers weren't mentioned as a major player for Fielder. Too much money, too many years to commit, too big a logjam at first base and on the payroll. Then, in a terrible (but fortuitously timed) twist, Martinez tore up a knee, and insurance paid for a chunk of his $13 million salary. Fielder was still unsigned and the opportunity beckoned, and the Tigers now have a powerhouse to battle the Yankees, Rangers, Red Sox and Angels.
They actually had a powerhouse last season when they won 95 games and beat the Yankees in the playoffs. They got outslugged by the Rangers in the ALCS and I think they vowed then not to get outslugged again.
When Martinez went down, horrible visions of a crippled lineup rattled around the front office. The stated stance was, the Tigers would wait and find someone. The updated stance is, Ilitch is done waiting.
[email]Bob.wojnowski@detnews.comTwitter.com[/email]/bobwojnowski
Tigers owner Mike Ilitch said he would do this, whatever it took, whoever was willing to listen. And here it came Tuesday, a blast that rocked the baseball world, as the Tigers landed free-agent star Prince Fielder with an expected nine-year, $214 million contract.
Go big, go now, or go home. That's the philosophy for Ilitch's Tigers these days, with the owner openly wondering how long he can wait for a World Series championship. From the disaster of the Victor Martinez season-ending knee injury, the Tigers extracted an incredible boost. I dare say, Ilitch delivered something we've almost never seen in Detroit sports history ? a free-agent superstar in his prime added to an established contender.
Everyone questioned how they'd possibly replace Martinez. The free-agent pickings were slim, outside of Fielder, and Ilitch saw what others saw. GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland downplayed last week any notion of going after Fielder, so you know where the mandate and commitment originated.
There's still plenty to figure out with the arrival of Fielder, son of former Tigers great Cecil Fielder. He's a first baseman, which happens to be the position manned by Tigers superstar Miguel Cabrera, who surely was kept informed of the situation. Cabrera could move to third. Or Cabrera, 27, and Fielder, 27, could share first and designated hitter. Heck, Cabrera's a good-enough athlete, maybe he'd take a shot at left field.
Leyland will figure it out, and after facing the worst possible problem ? replacing Martinez ? the Tigers now have the best possible problem. We should have seen it coming, honestly. Never underestimate Ilitch's competitive streak, or his willingness to work with agent Scott Boras, or his eagerness to call a shot. They have served each other's needs, with Boras handling high-profile clients and Ilitch always interested in stars.
So while others speculated about signing Juan Pierre or Johnny Damon, or just waiting, I bet Ilitch sat in the big office and reiterated what he said to me during the Tigers' playoff run a few months ago ? no more waiting.
"What I'm still trying to figure out is what we need for next year," Ilitch told me in a lengthy interview. "I want to be in a position to make one or two additions, and generally, they're pretty big additions.
"So you could add a couple of big-time players?
"Yes, I'm already thinking about that," he said. "Can you imagine another big bat in our lineup?
"It's still hard to imagine, Cabrera and Fielder back-to-back and side-by-side. It's a duo unmatched in baseball, with Cabrera the reigning A.L. batting champion and Fielder an annual MVP candidate, coming off a season in Milwaukee in which he hit .299 with 38 home runs and 120 RBIs. Fielder led the N.L. in home runs with 50 in 2007 and RBIs with 141 in 2009.
He was the preeminent free agent available once Albert Pujols leaped from the Cardinals to the Angels. Fielder is a left-handed-hitting slugger who boosts and balances the lineup at the same time.
And the thing is, this isn't just a showy attempt to load a roster and hope for success. The Tigers also have the pitching, with MVP Justin Verlander at the top of the rotation.
This is a headstrong attempt to win it all from an owner who's 82 and feisty as ever, and was willing to fork over $23.8 million per season for his best shot yet. From a financial standpoint, it's a risk. From a talent standpoint, it makes great sense.
"If I don't get (a World Series championship), I'll feel something was a little empty in my life," he said in late September. "Usually, I get what I want.
"Ilitch has talked about his mortality, although he's healthy. A former minor league baseball player, he craves major league success to match his wild success with the Red Wings. In hockey, Ilitch's preferred path was to sign stars, a tack he now takes in baseball.
Even still, the Tigers weren't mentioned as a major player for Fielder. Too much money, too many years to commit, too big a logjam at first base and on the payroll. Then, in a terrible (but fortuitously timed) twist, Martinez tore up a knee, and insurance paid for a chunk of his $13 million salary. Fielder was still unsigned and the opportunity beckoned, and the Tigers now have a powerhouse to battle the Yankees, Rangers, Red Sox and Angels.
They actually had a powerhouse last season when they won 95 games and beat the Yankees in the playoffs. They got outslugged by the Rangers in the ALCS and I think they vowed then not to get outslugged again.
When Martinez went down, horrible visions of a crippled lineup rattled around the front office. The stated stance was, the Tigers would wait and find someone. The updated stance is, Ilitch is done waiting.
[email]Bob.wojnowski@detnews.comTwitter.com[/email]/bobwojnowski
Re: Prince Fielder
Hopefully they locked up verlander first. I dont know how they can pay cabrera, verlander and fielder.
Hopefully they locked up verlander first. I dont know how they can pay cabrera, verlander and fielder.
Heim
EOG Master
Re: Prince Fielder
Too lazy to look it up.....is the new Tiger Stadium park friendly to lefties??
Too lazy to look it up.....is the new Tiger Stadium park friendly to lefties??
Re: Prince Fielder
If not they better reconstruct the park :LMAO
If not they better reconstruct the park :LMAO
mrbowling300
EOG Dedicated
Re: Prince Fielder
When Prince was 12 years old, he was hitting balls into the upper deck of old Tiger Stadium. Early on Mike Illitch, Tigers owner, knew this kid was special. The kid used to bring food up to the owners box for Illitch back in the days when his father was playing for the Tigers. I guess Prince and Cecil are estranged from each other these days. In the 2002 draft, the Tigers selected 8th, and the Brewers 7th. The Tigers had their hopes on Prince, but the Brewers drafted him. Illitch thought about it, and gave the green light to go ahead and get him for whatever the cost, even if he overpaid. $214,000,000 for 9 years is the 4th highest contract ever in baseball. They have Magglio Ordonez's $15M contract coming off the books, and they figure the extra $9M will be recouped in ticket sales, concessions, jerseys, post season play, etc. The move also forces Miggy to move to 3rd base, confirmed by Leyland at yesterday's press conference.
When Prince was 12 years old, he was hitting balls into the upper deck of old Tiger Stadium. Early on Mike Illitch, Tigers owner, knew this kid was special. The kid used to bring food up to the owners box for Illitch back in the days when his father was playing for the Tigers. I guess Prince and Cecil are estranged from each other these days. In the 2002 draft, the Tigers selected 8th, and the Brewers 7th. The Tigers had their hopes on Prince, but the Brewers drafted him. Illitch thought about it, and gave the green light to go ahead and get him for whatever the cost, even if he overpaid. $214,000,000 for 9 years is the 4th highest contract ever in baseball. They have Magglio Ordonez's $15M contract coming off the books, and they figure the extra $9M will be recouped in ticket sales, concessions, jerseys, post season play, etc. The move also forces Miggy to move to 3rd base, confirmed by Leyland at yesterday's press conference.
mrbowling300
EOG Dedicated
Re: Prince Fielder
Comerica park is better for lefties than righties. I think Prince should do well there.
Comerica park is better for lefties than righties. I think Prince should do well there.