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K. I guess I can't really blame an 80+ year old for going all in on a team that's already pretty close to being complete.
Not unlimited like the Yankees and Red Sox, but Ilitch isn't going to go into bankruptcy over this. His net worth is in the neighborhood of $2 billion. For years, he overspent on the Red Wings when the NHL had no salary cap. Once the NHL got a hard cap, Ilitch started spending more on the Tigers. It was never really an issue of being able to afford it, rather if he felt the money was worth it and whether the top free agents wanted to come to Detroit. Last year, he tried to buy the Pistons as well, so he was ready to drop $400 million just last year in that attempt.
It's very clear that this move had other motivations other than being cost-effective under some sabermetric philosophy. Other considerations, such as Ilitch's age are obviously playing a factor. Some, perhaps many, have and may continue to argue how ugly Prince's contract will be in the back-end, the last 3-4 years of the contract. I'd agree. But Mike Ilitch isn't looking 5 years ahead. He wants to win right now. He saw the best hitter in the market and made it happen. Rumblings and rumors suggest that Scott Boras cut the middle man out and went beyond Tigers president Dave Dombrowski and went straight to Ilitch, who he already has a relationship with. Boras has often done that with Ilitch. He got favorable deals for guys like Pudge Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez, Johnny Damon that overpaid those guys beyond what their market value would suggest and what other teams would offer. Same happened here. To make it happen, Ilitch went to the ridiculous with the contract. But here's another factor. Mike Ilitch's first love is baseball, not hockey. He played minor league baseball and got a contract offer to play for the Tigers before basically a career ending injury. Ilitch loves baseball. He loves the Tigers. And as some have been finding out, Ilitch has wanted Prince Fielder on the Tigers for years. Cecil played for the Tigers from 1990-96. So Prince grew up in Detroit and around the Tigers from roughly the ages of 6-12, formative young years for a kid. He probably still has some sentimental feelings for the Tigers. Not that it was the deciding factor, as $214 million is still $214 million at the end of the day. But perhaps it's something to consider.
So I don't see moneyball playing a factor here. You have an owner well into his 80s, longing to bring a World Series to Detroit and to the Tigers organization. An owner who has had some long time affinity towards Prince and who was willing to take a contract offer well beyond what any other team would be willing to offer. An owner at a point willing to spend that type of cash and who is financially stable enough to not let it hurt him or the franchise. An agent with a longstanding relationship with said owner who has a long resume of getting his clients ridiculous contracts. And you get what happened yesterday.
Leave no doubt, it's still absolutely shocking to a lot of us in Detroit. Never thought it would happen. On many different levels, doesn't really make sense. Yesterday, I was stunned. Still am to a degree. But a deeper look into all the facts gives you a better understanding of why and how things played out.
K. I guess I can't really blame an 80+ year old for going all in on a team that's already pretty close to being complete.
2 overrated pickups...
Pujols is 32. In 2-3 years that contract is going to really hurt the Angels, and they will be stuck with it. Cj wilson was a stupid pickup. 5 years 75 million is a ton of cash for a 32 year old who is a mentally weak player in the postseason. The tigers are going all out which is fine for 1-2 years, but that contract is going to hurt them for the other 7 years of that deal.
Just curious, but are you implying that the Angels will make it to the playoffs since you are judging CJ on post season work?
Are you also saying that in 5 years, pujols will be a mediocre DH?
Angels will win the division. The rangers wont recover from last years heartbreaking loss. In 5 years, Pujols will be 37 and wont even be nearly as good as he is now. His contract situation will be even worse for the team.
Well, then it seems like adding these pieces is good since they will win the Division. Also, Pujols will continue to bring in money for the Angels. This was a business decision, not just for on the field, but for merchandise and ticket sales. It also continues to keep the Angels more populor then the Dodgers here in LA.
As for CJ in the post season...he isnt our ACE. He'll play one game in a serires and thats it. As for Pujols, he'll still be better then any DH out there even in year 7 and on.
These moves are not good ones unless it produces championships. Angels wont be doing that so these moves will blow up in their face. The angels are paying cj wilson 15 million a season so Id say they are expecting him to make a significant impact.
ahhh so we are gonna win the division, but def not win a championship so you are automatically saying its a bust. ok...I see your logic there.
Oh and CJ Wilson getting us 16 wins instead of Piniero or Chatwood's crap isnt significant? ok buddy.
Keep in mind, your team is nothing special. The world series hangover is why you will even win that division. The angels arent championship material. They had 1 fluky season and have been nothing since. What is funny is you are saying cj was worth every penny for the regular season and not the playoffs. That is pretty stupid to pay a guy 15 million a year for the regular season.ahhh so we are gonna win the division, but def not win a championship so you are automatically saying its a bust. ok...I see your logic there.
Oh and CJ Wilson getting us 16 wins instead of Piniero or Chatwood's crap isnt significant? ok buddy.
LOL! Did a Phillies/Heat fan just give lectures about paying a load of money to players and not winning a championship.
5 years/120 millionLOL! Did a Phillies/Heat fan just give lectures about paying a load of money to players and not winning a championship.
rangers/astros fanLOL! Did a Phillies/Heat fan just give lectures about paying a load of money to players and not winning a championship.
its ok Timmy...i understand your pretty butthurt that all your team's aquisitions havent panned out yet.
10 years/252 million for a 32 year old.5 years/120 million
Sounds good to me. Big improvement to our line up. You should know about Pujols, didnt you lose to the Cards last year in the NLDS?10 years/252 million for a 32 year old.
By the way, how was your 120 million pitcher, Cliff Lee in game 2?
Haha Machine' tin on little Timmy.Sounds good to me. Big improvement to our line up. You should know about Pujols, didnt you lose to the Cards last year in the NLDS?
By the way, how was your 120 million pitcher, Cliff Lee in game 2?
ummmmm giants are in the superbowl, everyone but Miami is weaker this season in the nba, and the phillies arent going anywhere. You are grasping at straws.its ok Timmy...i understand your pretty butthurt that all your team's aquisitions havent panned out yet.
lol frontrunnerummmmm giants are in the superbowl, everyone but Miami is weaker this season in the nba, and the phillies arent going anywhere. You are grasping at straws.
Wait a minute. I know you. You always bring up Cliff Lee's contract and game 2 of the alds to me. You always say Pujols is a big addition to the angels lineup. This is Ronnie isnt it? What is going on bro? It's me Drake! Your break dancing at Emma's conference championship party was very entertaining! You owe me a rematch of 2k12 by the way.Sounds good to me. Big improvement to our line up. You should know about Pujols, didnt you lose to the Cards last year in the NLDS?
By the way, how was your 120 million pitcher, Cliff Lee in game 2?
Cracked me up reading Moneyball (finally) and seeing Beane crucify the Brewers for taking Fielder #7.
That's a possibility, but more likely, probably not by then.
Sadly for Angels fans and Tigers fans alike, the second half of the Albert and Prince contracts will be bad... really, really bad. There's a small chance either or both will still put up big numbers late into their contracts. But it's more likely they will see a steep decline at some point before their contracts end. I've already come to accept that fate.
That's why for both the Angels and Tigers, it's imperative for them to win some World Series (at the very least 1) in the next 4-5 years to justify the inevitability of how ugly those contracts will be from say 2015 or 2016 and beyond.
i say we worry about that when it happens.
i left from Arlington to Detroit and it was so quiet, you could hear a season drop!
How does Boras pull off these deals when his compe ion is usually not close to the number he ends up getting? Dodgers were supposedly in this race for around 160 mil and that was the next best bid. So why would the Tigers up the offer to over 200 mil and 9 in years? He's out of shape at 27 imagine what he'll be at 34..
I agree. I'm just suggesting your comment might not be true, in fact likely not true. I don't think Pujols will still be better than any DH out there when he's 38+ years old. You really think he'll be a 35+ HR, 100+ RBI, .300 hitter at 38? Even if reaches those numbers, there likely will be another DH or perhaps other DHs putting up similar and even better numbers than those.
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