Sox on outs after Tigers go ‘all in’ with Fielder signing
- Article
- Comments (0)
- Photos (1)
|
|
The Detroit Tigers are big news these days after owner Mike Ilitch shocked the baseball world on Tuesday by signing free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract. Meanwhile, the White Sox are on the outs after going “all In” last season. Associated Press |
Detroit is not all doom and gloom.
Without a doubt, the Motor City was almost wiped off the map when the auto industry tanked at the start of this economic downturn.
Related articles
Fielder to start earning big bucks right away Ventura can't wait for spring training to startBut even during the darkest days up in Detroit, Mike Ilitch was pocketing some big money as owner of the Little Caesars pizza chain and MotorCity Casino, which is located a long flyball away from Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.
Ilitch owns the Tigers and Detroit Red Wings, long one of the NHL’s premier franchises.
The Tigers are big news these days after Ilitch shocked the baseball world on Tuesday by signing free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract.
Where did Ilitch get the money, you ask?
The better question might be — when did he finally decide to start spending?
I’m not a big fan of Little Caesars pizza, but somebody must be buying the pies.
According to Forbes, Ilitch was worth $2 billion as recently as last September. At the age of 82, he is clearly trying to buy the Tigers’ first World Series championship since 1984.
Actually, Ilitch has had the checkbook open since 2008, when he spent almost $138 million on payroll.
The Tigers dipped a bit to $115 million in 2009 but went back up to $134 million in ‘10 and were at $107 million last season.
The Fielder signing pushes the Tigers’ payroll over $130 million for the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, the White Sox are on the outs after going “all In” last season.
Miserable seasons by big-money players like Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Jake Peavy cost the Sox big-time in the standings (79-83) and at the gate, where they barely drew 2 million fans.
The White Sox ranked 21st out of 30 major league teams in attendance; the Tigers were No. 13 at just over 2.6 million.
The White Sox are stuck with Dunn, Rios and Peavy because no other team wants to be saddled with their bad contracts.
Dunn has three years and $44 million left on his deal, Rios has three years and $38 million and Peavy has one more year at $17 million. The injury-prone starter also has a $22 million club option for 2013, but the Sox will undoubtedly opt for the $4 million buyout assuming they don’t trade Peavy during the upcoming season.
The White Sox have trimmed roughly $28 million off last season’s $128 million payroll, and they’d probably be in full rebuild mode if they could move Dunn, Rios and Peavy.
Instead, the Sox have to hope the trio bounces back under new manager Robin Ventura. Unlike last season, the White Sox are under no pressure to win the AL Central.
The pressure is squarely on the Tigers, who are paying Fielder, Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera more than $60 million combined this season.
Money does not buy World Series championships, but it does buy hope.
sgregor@dailyherald.com
