"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.
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.
Let's get the scary parts out of the way first. Sure, it's a lot of money. And it's no secret Fielder is a well-below average defensive first baseman. Offensively, he's coming off the worst statistical season of his career. He hasn't shown up in the postseason. But it kinda ends there.
To me, the pros outweigh the cons.
- Killing two birds with one stone. Acquiring Fielder simultaneously addresses two areas of concern for the Rangers: the need for a power bat, and solving the logjam middle infield dilemma (two spots for three players - Elvis Andrus, Jurickson Profar and Kinsler).
- Needed power. Texas can now boast a feared middle-of-the-lineup presence to pair with Adrian Beltre. The Rangers sorely lacked their typical boppage last year and did not have players hit well with runners in scoring position.
- Durability. Fielder has only missed 13 regular-season games since 2006. You can pencil him in the lineup every day at a position that produced very poorly last season.
- Plate discipline. I know baseball is not his sport, but Stephen A. Smith said Fielder was a guy that either strikes out or hits a home run on Thursday's edition of First Take. Eh, not really. What's up with people thinking he's an all-or-nothing slugger? Texas didn't exactly trade for Adam Dunn here. Fielder actually walked more than he struck out as recently as 2011 and 2012. I always remembered him as a patient hitter when the Rangers faced him. He still has some good years left.
- Other Rangers should see more pitches. Beltre could be in for a mammoth 2014, due in part to the fear that Fielder will instill in the minds of opposing pitchers. Consider that Fielder has been a part of three lineups that have produced MVPs (Miguel Cabrera twice, Ryan Braun). That's no coincidence.
- Rangers Ballpark. The thought of Fielder launching away to the right-field home run porch is exciting. I honestly woke up this morning and wondered if I had dreamed of Fielder having that opportunity. Yep, still real. Comerica Park in Detroit isn't exactly a hitter's paradise like Arlington. Fielder could mash 40+ home runs in 2014.
I don't want to get too carried away with a projected lineup because I don't think general manager Jon Daniels is done with his offseason acquisition plan. It's not even Thanksgiving. I could see the Rangers going after one more impact bat (not Robinson Cano, as many have speculated). The top of the lineup could look something like this:
1. Elvis Andrus, SS
2. Jurickson Profar, 2B
3. Adrian Beltre, 3B
4. Prince Fielder, 1B/DH
5. Alex Rios, OF
I can dig that.
It's time for Profar to have a full season of consistent playing time at one position. I think we'll see him make serious strides. If Andrus can hit like he did in the second half of last year, that would put the team in good position to have runners on base consistently. Then, Beltre and Fielder can do their thing.
Daniels has already locked up a pretty robust pitching staff (Yu Darvish, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Martin Perez, Alexi Ogando) for a few more years. While the Rangers aren't going all-in for 2014, it may be one of their best chances to win a World Series. The goal here is obvious. And at the end of the day, this is a more complete lineup today than it was yesterday.
This team should make serious noise in 2014. And JD probably isn't even done yet.
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