Reaction to Rangers Trading Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder

Naturally, when news broke of the Texas Rangers trading Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers for Prince Fielder, I was in the middle of a two-hour advanced movie screening with no access to my phone (if you haven't seen "Book Thief," I recommend it). Shortly after I walked out of the theater, I glanced at my iPhone and noticed eight text messages and a voicemail.

"Big Trade" was the first text I saw from my college buddy Wilson. My mom and brother simply exclaimed "Fielder!" while my other college buddy Brett left a voicemail asking for my thoughts.

Wow. What a rush. Where do I start?

My first thought on the short drive home last night was to evaluate the specifics of the contracts. Fielder (age 29) has seven years and $168 million left on his deal, while Kinsler (age 31) is still owed $62 million over four years. Thankfully, Detroit kicked in $30 million along with Fielder to complete the trade, bringing the price tag on Fielder to $138 million over seven years. Overall, I like that price for Texas.