| Angels or Tigers, Who got the Better Deal |
| By Sally Haase Feb. 23, 2012 It’s that time of year again, the dust has settled on the free agent market and pitchers and catchers will report to Spring Training and the start of the 2012 Major League Baseball season. Going into the offseason, there were two big free agents that every fan had their eyes on. Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, both first basemen, both in the National League, and both can carry their teams when they are on a hot streak. I really thought that Fielder would be the only one who would find a new team, but Pujols asked for too much money from the St. Louis Cardinals and the team stood its ground, saying it would not be fiscally responsible to sign the first ballot Hall of Famer to such a long and expensive contract. Pujols took his two World Series rings with the Cardinals and moved west to the American League signing a ten year 240 million dollar contract with the Los Angeles Angels. After Pujols made his decision, it was time for all the chips to fall into place to see where Fielder would go. Fielder chose to stay in the Midwest, but jumped leagues too and became a Detroit Tiger after the Tigers offered nine years and 214 million. So, who made the better investment? Pujols is five years older than Fielder (32 & 27) so by the time Pujols’ contract is up, he will be looking at retirement or one to two year deals as a power threat off the bench or a designated hitter. Fielder will be 36 when his contract ends and he may have a few more productive years a head of him. This allows Detroit the option extending the contract or Fielder the option of another free agent offer. Both have proved that they are durable in the long baseball season with Pujols never playing in less than 147 games and Fielder, after his 39 game rookie season has never played less than 157 games. Pretty impressive considering National League players need to play in the field when they play the whole game. Both are two of the greatest home run hitters of my generation, heck Fielder was cracking home runs into the second deck of old Tigers stadium when he was 14, he will make the massive Comerica Park look small when he connects with the ball. Pujols is 55 home runs away from 500 and has never his less than 30 in a season. The advantage for Pujols is that he is also a great hitter, only batting less than .300 in the 2011 season, and is a career .328 hitter. Pujols also has a versatility advantage, playing first base, third base and the outfield in his 11 year career with the Cardinals. If the Angels are ever in a bind, they have options as to where they want to put Pujols. Plus, once Pujols retires, the contact has a personal services clause with the Angels, giving the team more years of Pujols even after he is off the field. I see a few problems with Fielder, first of which is his size. He is 5’11’’ and weighs 275 pounds. Right now, being 27 Fielder can handle that extra weight, but when he gets older and his knees start to feel more pressure because of that extra weight the Tigers will have a first baseman/designated hitter who is on the DL more than he is in the lineup. Fielder is a career .282 hitter which is a great career average but that could end up being a problem when he has an off year and cannot rely on the long ball to help his team. But a great advantage for Fielder is his personality; he is the right combination of silliness and intensity that a team needs when they need a spark plug. He is definitely a vocal leader in the clubhouse. I know a career ending injury could make either one of these deals a bad deal, but neither is a bad deal. Just after looking at the numbers and the contributions each makes to their teams I think the Angels made the better deal in signing Albert Pujols. And the Cardinals front office will regret allowing Pujols to walk away. |
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