Thread: Tigers, Fielder close to a 9-year, $214M deal

This move coming shortly after Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told fans on their Winter Caravan that Fielder "is not a good fit for us."

So, Cabrera is due approximately $21M per year for the next four years.
VMart gets $13M or so for the next three years.
And now Fielder is going to be getting ~$22M or so the next nine years.
And Verlander is getting $20M for the next three years.

So for the next three years, they have $76M tied into those four guys. Right about now I wish I could say that is going to hurt them long term - but I'm not sure at all that is the case. Ilitch will just spend more, right? He's spent over $130M twice in the last four years. It ain't quite the Yankees midwest - but when you look at those contracts, it kinda feels like it.

I think it hurts them long-term because Cabrera and Fielder won't last the length of their deals, at least not at their current levels. Martinez is already hurt. Verlander is a stud, but he hasn't been hurt yet, so isn't it just a matter of time? Also, if those four comprise $76 million, and they sit at $125-130M, that's still $50-55M for the other 20-21 players.

It's the same as the Twins having $23M for Mauer, $14M for Morneau and $11M for Edwin Jackson. That's $48M for 3 players, and if the Twins are at $105M, then they have $50-55M remaining for 21-22 players. So, they're kind of the same...

Or not quite.