Gator's Blog: The Price Of Prince

Over the last week or so, a lot has been made about Prince Fielder's $214-Million contract. I understand some of the criticism, given that it's an awful lot of money to dedicate to one player, particularly over the 9 years agreed upon. However, that's where I feel the contract is most valuable, those nine years in length.

Think about it this way, if Prince produces like he has for the next four seasons, nobody would complain about the money because he'd be worth it. Had he only signed a four year deal, his next free agent contract would far exceed the nearly $24-Million annual salary as he enters his early 30's. What the Tigers did was smart, lock him up long term and they actually SAVE money.

It's not guaranteed that he performs to his All Star level, but for someone entering the prime of their career, we should feel pretty confident that he will live up to the hype. As far as the problems the team faces defensively because of this signing, that's another blog altogether.