Dave Dombrowski loves making deals that stun the world, and he succeeded again by trading Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers in return for Ian Kinsler, pending physicals. In one move, the Detroit Tigers took care of their leadoff hitter problems, their infield problems and got rid of the biggest salary problem on the team. To say this move was a steal for the Tigers would be a massive understatement.
This potential move is huge for Max Scherzer and Miguel Cabrera because one or both would have had to leave due to the massive contract of Fielder. Now with this move, there is a good chance that the Tigers can keep both while also getting more balance on offense with more speed and talent toward the top of the order instead of just a massive stockpile in the middle.
The future of the Tigers organization and the current team both benefited from this deal, regardless of how Prince does in Texas.
It has been a whirlwind since the Tigers signed Fielder to the $200-plus million deal, and Prince has taken a good amount of lumps for his play. Fielder is still an RBI machine and has always been a quality locker room guy, but the length and size of his deal was so over-inflated that it deflated the entire organization around him.
With the funds available, the Tigers can now create the balanced team they have wanted to create for years — and that is not even mentioning the addition Kinsler, who will contribute both defensively and on offense with his bat and speed. Today was a massive day for the future of the Detroit Tigers.
