Fielder helps now, maybe not later 

January, 24, 2012
Jan 24
3:46
PM ET

In a move no one really saw coming, Prince Fielder has reportedly agreed to a nine-year, $214 million deal with the Detroit Tigers.

Everything that held true for the Albert Pujols contract -- great for the team in the short term, very risky in the long term -- holds true for Fielder and the Tigers as well. He'll add a little less value in the next year or two than Pujols will to the Los Angeles Angels, but I like Fielder's chance to hold value deeper into his contract because, at 28 this year, he's five years younger than Pujols. That said, Fielder's still a corner position player with no speed and no defensive value, a player profile that ages very poorly, and he is going to have to get his weight under control if he wants to be a productive player in the back half of this deal, even though there's no financial incentive for him to do so.

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