As Fielder's free agency appeared destined for February, the Tigers — reeling from the loss of designated hitter Victor Martinez, who will miss the entire season with a torn ACL — reportedly shelled out a nine-year, $214 million deal to Fielder on Tuesday.
Fielder certainly owes Martinez a care package in the morning because the signing will have massive ramifications for the Tigers. In addition to spending time as a designated hitter, Fielder will still dabble at first base.
The move enables Miguel Cabrera to slide back to third base, a position change he reportedly accepted to accommodate his fellow All-Star teammate. Add in shortstop Jhonny Peralta to the lineup and the Tigers are on the fringe of assembling a very formidable offense.
In a matter of minutes Tuesday, the pendulum of power completed its shift to the American League.
With Yu Darvish powering the Rangers and Albert Pujols lifting the Angels, the battle in the AL West will be a tight contest.
You can't count out the Rangers, of course. If Fielder fortifies the Tigers with his imposing power, the top of the American League will undoubtedly be cluttered — as if it wasn't already before the offseason.
The wild card races, even more so. If Major League Baseball postpones adding a second wild card to the mix, an elusive playoff berth will be more difficult to achieve for the Red Sox moving forward.
As sluggers bolt to the AL, it emphasizes the need for strong pitching. This year, AL pitchers will face seven of the eight first baseman that participated in the 2009 MLB All-Star Game — Fielder, Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, Carlos Pena, Mark Teixeira and Justin Morneau. Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is the lone exception.
After finishing third in the National League MVP voting, Fielder enters 2012 with heightened expectations. Aside from being a power hitter, Fielder has displayed plate discipline, drawing over 100 walks during the last three years. Last season, his OPS was .981 — good for fifth in the majors.
That ability could establish Fielder and Cabrera as the toughest 3-4 hitters in baseball. In 2011, the duo combined to hammer 68 long balls and 225 RBIs. That's not to mention Detroit still has the reigning AL MVP and AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander.
Despite falling short in the 2011 ALCS, the Tigers are positioned to contend for many years with a nucleus of Verlander, Cabrera and Fielder.
To some degree, it's all thanks to Victor Martinez's injury. With $214 million in the bank, Fielder would be smart to send the Tigers designated hitter a generous get-well gift.
Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.
