The Detroit Tigers landed a major player in the free agency market by the name of Prince Fielder. However, it cost them a whopping $214 million for nine years. The question is whether or not Fielder is worth that kind of money.

Pairing him with Miguel Cabrera makes them one of the most lethal 1-2 punches in all of baseball. Unfortunately, with Victor Martinez looking to miss the entire 2012 season with an injury, the Fielder/Cabrera combination will be under an extremely watchful eye. Nevertheless, it should be a feared lineup with those two anchoring down the squad.

But $214 million?

Fielder is 27-years-old, which means he’ll be a Tiger until he is 36. Who knows if he can keep up the numbers he’s put up. He’s always been a power hitter but never an average hitter. He’s never hit over .300, which makes you wonder what will happen if he pulls an Adam Dunn and struggles to hit the ball at all. That’s a major long term investment in a player that is nearing his 30s. Not to mention that Fielder makes less than only Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols.

Even if Fielder does put up remarkable numbers, the Anaheim Angels and Texas Rangers may still be the class of the American League. The Tigers should have the AL Central sewn up with the White Sox going into rebuilding phase, the Royals still stinking, and both the Twins and the Indians not having the 1-9 lineup or the pitching to match the Tigers.

Let’s just see what Fielder does as a member of the Tigers.

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