Tigers and Rangers Trade Fielder for Kinsler

This trade has  been the most surprising move of the off season so far. Two all star caliber players are swapping teams, everyone knew the Rangers wanted to trade Ian Kinsler to accommodate Jurickson Profar, but no one expected the Tigers to trade Prince Fielder.

How does he look in a Rangers jersey?

The trade was made official last night with Prince Fielder going to the Rangers with $30 Million and Ian Kinsler going to the Tigers with a possible pla
yer to be named later. Both Kinsler and Fielder had down years in 2013, but are expected to have bounce back seasons in 2014. Fielder had a .279 avg, .362 OBP, with 25 home runs, and 106 RBIs. While Kinsler had a .277 avg, .344 OBP , with 13 home runs, and 72 RBIs. Kinsler has battled injuries for a few years and is definitely not the player he was when he was in his 20s, and Fielder has been more than healthy his entire career and continues to hit well.

How does he look in a Tigers jersey? 

The Rangers obviously did this deal to add offense to their team and to open a spot for the young Profar who will be playing at league minimum. The Tigers are trying to free up salary to sign Max Scherzer to a long term deal and possibly sign another bat. The move will also allow Miguel Cabrera to move back to first base. The Rangers are expected to use the $30 Million in the deal to try to sign a free agent, perhaps an outfielder such as Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, or Shin-Soo Choo.

These two teams are definitely not done making additions to their teams, but as of now the Tigers' lineup seems a bit more bleak and the Rangers' lineup looks incredible. Observe the effects Prince Fielder had on Miguel Cabrera's stats in 2012 and 2013, you can expect the same thing to happen to Adrian Beltre in 2014 and for as long as Fielder and Beltre will man the 3-4 hole in Texas.

An additional note is Prince Fielder had a limited no trade clause in his contract with the Tigers, and the Rangers were in fact on that list. Fielder waived his no trade clause to complete the trade.

The 1-5 for both teams is pretty much set, but still very much subject to change. As we observed last night. Anything is possible in baseball.

Jackson                                        Andrus
Hunter                                          Profar
Cabrera                                        Fielder
Martinez                                       Beltre
Kinsler                                         Moreland