The Detroit Tigers made giant-size splash in the 2012 free agency market with their 9 year, $214 million signing of Prince Fielder. With it comes a lineup to be feared, a franchise to be reveared, and more good problems than bad going forward.
Many experts think this signing is directly related to the recent news that Victor Martinez would miss the 2012 season with a torn ACL. If this is the case, this is one heck of an impulse buy. The truth is that Fielder fits well in this model – even with Miguel Cabrera previously isntalled as the majority 1st baseman.
Cabrera is a pure hitter, and that won’t change with a positional switch (reportedly to third base), but he’s had offseason issues and shouldn’t be labeled as the face of the franchise long term. Bringing in a player like Prince secures a dominant bat to place behind Caberera, and eventually Martinez, and a model all-star to build your franchise around for many years.
Here’s the breakdown of salaries for Prince Fielder’s new contract:
- 2012: $23 million
- 2013: $23 million
- 2014: $24 million
- 2015: $24 million
- 2016: $24 million
- 2017: $24 million
- 2018: $24 million
- 2019: $24 million
- 2020: $24 million
Other Notable 2012 Tiger Salaries:
- Miguel Cabrera: $21 million
- Victor Martinez: $13 million
- Justin Verlander: $20 million
