Prince Fielder/file photo
Trades are tricky things. They're gambles, like playing the stock market or deciding to double down with a pair of eights at the blackjack table.
Six months after the trade, Derick Hutchinson of ClickOnDetroit.com examines the swap: Prince Fielder for Texas Ranger Ian Kinsler.
It's not too hard to see at this point that the Tigers should be hoisting a glass of champagne and dancing themselves silly. Just the fact that the Texas Rangers just announced that Fielder is done for the season and requires neck surgery is reason enough to see the upside. Then there's this: Fielder finished the season with three home runs, 16 RBI and an unimpressive .247 average.
Hutchinson writes:
Now the Rangers are in the middle of their only visit to Comerica Park and there's no Fielder in sight.
The move initially looked like a desperate attempt for general manager Dave Dombrowski to save money, as Fielder provided protection for Miguel Cabrera and helped him win two straight MVPs in Detroit. The former Brewer provided a similar boost to teammate Ryan Braun in 2011, when the Milwaukee outfielder won his first career MVP.
Fans were also concerned about the recent performance of Kinsler, who stole just 15 bases last season after recording 51 between 2011 and 2012.
He notes that shedding Fielder's contract helped Detroit sign closer Joe Nathan.
And Hutchinson goes on to write:
In light of reconstructing this Tiger team the Fielder-Kinsler trade made sense, but even Dombrowski couldn't have predicted how much better his second baseman would be in his first season with Detroit.
Kinsler laced three doubles against his former team on Friday night, extending his hitting streak to nine games en route to helping the Tigers regain the top record in baseball. The 31-year-old has not only held his own compared to Fielder, he has outshone him in nearly every aspect.
