January 24th, 2012 at 3:48 PM ^
What about defense? Don't tell me Miggy can be a competent defensive third baseman because it's just not true. And you can't not have both them in the lineup at the same time, if you have both on the active roster, you have to play them both.
I don't know, I'm just cringing at the thought of Cabrera playing third and Fielder at first, and then Delmon Young in left, with Raburn at second. That's terrifying. We need defense, there's a lot more to baseball than scoring runs. That lineup would put a lot of pressure on our pitching staff to strike guys out or get flyballs because Miggy isn't gonna stop a thing at third.
I guess it's not quite confirmed yet, but I was hoping they'd make a move for Cespedes, assuming he is all he's cracked up to be, and then move Young to DH.
January 24th, 2012 at 3:54 PM ^
The defensive question can wait until 2013 since V-Mart is likely out all season. That's a lot of time to figure out what guys can/can't do from a defensive standpoint....
And given the choice between a proven commodity and an unproven one (Cespedes), I'll take the sure thing. Too many of the foreign can't miss prospects, well, miss.
January 24th, 2012 at 3:57 PM ^
And having said what I said. I will certainly be giggling with glee when Miggy and Prince start raining Hellfire on opposing pitching staffs.
January 24th, 2012 at 3:58 PM ^
delmon is a one year deal. i would guess miggy would end up in LF. just move jackson to left-center.
January 24th, 2012 at 4:22 PM ^
The Cardinals survived this past season with Berkman in RF. IIRC, Miggy was a 3B/OF when he broke in. As long as you have a speedster in CF, it can work.
January 24th, 2012 at 3:57 PM ^
I don't know, I'm just cringing at the thought of Cabrera playing third and Fielder at first, and then Delmon Young in left, with Raburn at second. That's terrifying.Actually, now that I see you say that.... that's fucking hilarious. Oh, I know. At some point in the future I will cringe at the result. I don't have any doubt about that. It just reminds me of the days when the Tigers featured a lineup of guys like Rob Deer and Mickey Tettleton and Cecil Fielder and a whole bunch of guys who could really hit and then sent Mike Moore to the mound and called him an "ace." Good times. At least now we have pitching.
January 24th, 2012 at 4:00 PM ^
reminds me of wisconsin's offensive line. they beat the crap out of you so bad, you don't even notice the bad defense.
January 24th, 2012 at 5:34 PM ^
Cabrera was a LF when he broke in, moved to 3B with Florida, played 3B with the Tigers for like 2 weeks before they flipped him to 1B and moved Guillen to 3B. I am of the belief that Cabrera will turn into a solid/average Major League 3rd baseman, he's just that athletic. He will NOT move to LF again, I can promise you that. As for this season, 2012, reports are that Cabrera will rotate between 3B, 1B, and DH, Fielder will play 1B and DH, and presumably Inge/Kelly will see some reps at 3rd
January 25th, 2012 at 6:17 AM ^
In all honesty, Miggy can't be a worse third baseman than Wilson Betemit, and then when you factor in his offensive production......you can live with it.
He has 2 years to get into shape, and he has played the position before. It's wish thinking to assume he can be even a competent third basemen, but I would say that if you asked every team in baseball, "Hey would you take Miggy and Prince at the corners?" they'd almost categorically answer, "Yes. Are you effing kidding me? That's even a possibilty?"
January 24th, 2012 at 3:53 PM ^
When I read this I immediately lost interest in class and just begin imagining that lineup.
January 24th, 2012 at 3:58 PM ^
I know I am supposed to be cramming for a criminal law exam. I haven't been able to pick the book back up.
January 24th, 2012 at 3:53 PM ^
January 24th, 2012 at 3:56 PM ^
Is it possible they trade Cabrera to fill other holes? Are DD and Mr. I. tired of the drama with Miguel?
January 24th, 2012 at 4:01 PM ^
that could be a possibility in 2013.
January 24th, 2012 at 5:30 PM ^
That is an absolutely ridiculous assertion. Even with as good as Fielder is, Miguel Cabrera is the best pure hitter in all of baseball, with the ONLY possible exception being Pujols. DD and Illitch didn't sign Fielder to free up Cabrera in a trade, they signed Fielder to have the best 3-4 punch in a lineup from a hitting and power perspective since probably Maris and Mantle
January 24th, 2012 at 4:02 PM ^
Please God don't turn into Adam Dunn.
January 24th, 2012 at 4:02 PM ^
Roughly $65,000 a day for the next 9 years of his life...
January 25th, 2012 at 9:56 AM ^
that really puts it in perspective.
January 24th, 2012 at 4:13 PM ^
Sacred carp!
January 24th, 2012 at 4:13 PM ^
January 24th, 2012 at 4:16 PM ^
Mike Ilitch is an incredible owner. Hopefully he'll be with us awhile longer (he's in his early 80s IIRC).
January 24th, 2012 at 4:16 PM ^
Is Verlander going to lose a game next year? The amount of guys he strikes out with that run support. Obviously an exaggeration, but wow.
The guy this will hurt when Vmart comes back is Porcello. Ground ball pitcher with a shaky infield... Not a perfect fit. Fister must be drooling after what he had to live through in Seattle though.
January 24th, 2012 at 5:27 PM ^
Cabrera will be better than anyone thinks at 3B. Mark my words
January 24th, 2012 at 4:19 PM ^
I just went to purchase a hot n' ready pizza and saw that it was $30.
January 24th, 2012 at 4:28 PM ^
kind of like the final scene in "3 o'clock high".
January 24th, 2012 at 4:27 PM ^
Any guesses where Fielder and Cabrera will fit in the batting order? Cabrera to the 3 slot and Fielder #4? Vice versa? I know Leyland likes an effective bat behind Cabrera...maybe he'll try Boesch there.
January 24th, 2012 at 4:31 PM ^
against righties
#2 boesch
#3 cabrera
#4 prince
#5 young
#6-9 who cares
move peralta to #2 against lefties. or even raburn.
oh for a real leadoff guy.
January 24th, 2012 at 4:36 PM ^
Cabrera would go to the 3, he's a true hitter while Fielder is a true power hitter
January 24th, 2012 at 4:37 PM ^
For a very fat man. Uh, no. He won't keep up the type of production he had in Milwaukee for more than 3-4 years. Then he'll drop off a cliff like his fat daddy.
January 25th, 2012 at 6:18 AM ^
Hey man, he's a vegetarian. Give him a break.
On a side note: that's a wholllllllle lotta lettuce.
January 24th, 2012 at 4:44 PM ^
With Victor Martinez' injury, this is a good deal for the Tigers. And when Martinez returns to full health, the Tigers lineup will be dangerous (not that it's dangerous enough as is with Fielder)
Good luck to him and Tigers, big get today
January 24th, 2012 at 4:49 PM ^
The Detroit News story is above.
I'll take that - I actually admire Illitch for doing what he needed to do in the here and now to make a formidable 3-4 combination in the lineup where none may have existed had he waited to fill Victor's shoes. Actually, when Martinez comes back, imagine the 3-4-5 in the Tigers' lineup. Damn!
January 24th, 2012 at 4:45 PM ^
So awesome. Like this pic:
January 24th, 2012 at 4:53 PM ^
Yikes. Cubs zubaz, ugly stained NYG shirt, and an old Tiger's away cap. What was Young Prince thinking!.
January 24th, 2012 at 6:34 PM ^
I love those old Tiger road uniforms, though.
January 24th, 2012 at 4:46 PM ^
Great news! Go Tigers!
January 24th, 2012 at 4:52 PM ^
Dombrowski and Illitch just gave the rest of the AL the one finger salute. Nice.
January 24th, 2012 at 4:58 PM ^
Everyone liked Cecil when he was here, and a lot of people were disappointed when the Tigers weren't in a position to draft his son. The stories of him hitting balls into the seats of Tiger Stadium as a kid are a great prelude to his finally playing for the Tigers. There is a lot of potential for a Hollywood ending here.
If Prince Fielder plays his cards right, he will be one of Detroit's most beloved sports figures for the rest of his life.
January 25th, 2012 at 6:46 AM ^
I remember hearing stories about Ilitch being extremely disappointed that they didn't get a chance to draft Prince. Looking back, this road might have been best for both parties. Prince got a chance to develop into one of baseball's best hitters in relative obscurity (Not a slight against the Brewers, but the pressure of being the son of a good major leaguer was probably hard enough let alone what it would have been being Cecil Fielder's son drafted by Detroit. When you factor in his relationship with his father, it's not hard to imagine things going south quickly had Prince struggled early in Detroit, or even performed well, but not up to Cecil's standards).
Regardless, this has a chance of being one of the greatest baseball storylines of all time, the stuff of legend and the stuff only dreams (or hollywood) are made of.
Imagine if Prince wins a World Series with the Tigers, and reconciles with his father all in the same season. It world make "Field of Dreams" look like garbage in comparison.
January 24th, 2012 at 5:00 PM ^
Illitch will make a lot of the $214 million back in merchandising and increased ticket sales. If Fielder can have a good couple of years and make the town excited about the team as much as they were about Verlander last year, it won't matter if he bats like Brandon Inge after 2015. The SABR people don't think about what the team gets in return off the field for big players, but I can guarantee that the owners do.
Also, 45 is conveniently open on the current Tigers roster, if Prince wants it.
January 24th, 2012 at 5:00 PM ^
Here's Drew Sharp, just in time to kill everyones joy.
January 24th, 2012 at 5:02 PM ^
I love the trade from a pure offensive baseball sense plus some history (his dad was a pretty good masher for the Tigers in his day), but I'm not sure how much he helps the team on the field. If he has a typical season, he's basically VMart with less range and more pop, if somewhat slightly. Miller Park was basically a neutral field in terms of hitting, so at least his numbers were not overly inflated. That said, the Tigers already have a power-hitting first baseman with suspect range, and while Prince can hit DH, you like to keep that space more open for guys coming back from injury, rest from the field, etc. Yes, Miggy could play 3rd and Fielder at 1st, but that's putting quite a bit of strain at two positions both physically as well as defensively.
Overall, this might work out well in the short term, but Fielder's body type is not one that holds up as he ages (at least historically), and I'm always a bit scared paying $20M+ for a guy who can't stay on the field because of injuries. Of course, the Tigers have the money and you can't be that worried about teams 3-4 years down the line. I'm very excited about the next 2-3 years, and then I guess we'll see how it shakes out. Still amazes me that the Tigers are making the biggest move of the offseason.
January 24th, 2012 at 5:25 PM ^
1) it was not a trade. It was a signing. 2) "Less range and more pop" than V-Mart. What were you referring to by "range?". Martinez was going to strictly DH this season anyways, hence the Laird signing. In terms of 1st base, Leyland preferred putting Kelly out there to give Cabby a day off. Does this move improve the Tigers overall defense? Absolutely not. Does it improve the team immensely, and make them (arguable) favorites to win the AL and the WS? You betcha. Love the move. Illitch wants a title
January 24th, 2012 at 10:57 PM ^
Yeah, didn't mean to say trade - that was just a brain fart on my end.
As for range, I meant VMart can at least play multiple positions (catcher and DH, and possible 1st). And yes, varying levels of quality at each. With Fielder, it is a mediocre 1st base plus DH, and that's it.
As for making them the prohibitive favorties for the AL and WS title, I'd like to see more money spent at shoring up the bullpen - expecting AA and the Big Potato to be lights out again isn't a given, and I'm not sure that Fielder is more than a slight improvement offensively from what Martinez gave last year. I just want to see the team continue to improve, both at the top of the order as well as defensively in the outfield beyond Jackson.
January 24th, 2012 at 5:28 PM ^
January 24th, 2012 at 5:29 PM ^
January 24th, 2012 at 5:52 PM ^
Have fun with that contract. His knees will start to give after three or four years.
January 24th, 2012 at 6:32 PM ^
The four world series wins...I'd take it hater
January 24th, 2012 at 5:59 PM ^
This news just made my MFing day. I have been depressed since V-Mart got hurt.