TIGERS TRADE PRINCE FIELDER TO TEXAS

PRINCE FIELDER

The Detroit Tigers have traded Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers for Ian Kinsler.

There were no other players in the deal.

Detroit will be sending along $ 30 million to make up some of the difference in salary between the two players.The money is payable between 2016-2020.

The deal still has to be approved by Major League Baseball.

Fielder a five-time All-Star hit .279 with 25 homers this past season but it was his lowest home run total over a full season in his career.Fielder had no RBI's in the postseason and only batted .182 in the ALCS.

"Obviously,a very exciting trade for us in adding Prince Fielder to the organization.Also a tough trade to make in that Ian Kinsler's been with the organization since '03 and we've signed him here a couple of times.Been here,a catalyst for our World Series clubs,and a huge part of this.A winning guy,a heart and soul guy,and Detroit got a tremendous player and person",said Jon Daniels the Rangers GM.

Texas was interested in Fielder when he originally signed with Detroit."Our offer was well below what it ended up being,so we weren't that close.I thought he was a genuine guy that really loved the game,really loved playing the game,loved his boys,his sons."Daniels said.

Fielder has a no-trade clause in his contract but Fielder agreed to accept the trade and instructed Scott Boras to approve the deal.

"If he was coming off the best year of his career,he's not available," Daniels said."I think that's kind of the whole idea of the deal - if anybody feels like that's a sign of things to come,that he's slipping,you may not like the deal.We don't feel that way at all."

The Tigers are now free to move Miguel Cabrera to first base where his fielding will be less of a adventure.Top prospect Nick Castellanos is expected to play third.

The Tigers have freed up money to re-sign Max Scherzer by saving $ 76 million in the deal.

Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski is having a good offseason so far but now he must 'shore up' Detroit's bullpen. During the ALCS the bullpen was the 'Achilles heel' for the Tigers as the Red Sox could get nothing off Scherzer and Verlander but once they got to the bullpen - well that's where the series was won.

Kinsler batted .277 with 13 HR's last year but he played in only 136 games due to a rib injury.
Kinsler is guaranteed $ 62 million through 2017.