Rangers: How Prince Fielder’s ‘Retirement’ Helps the Rangers

The Texas Rangers received word that their 2015 RBI leader, Prince Fielder, will no longer be an option. Ever. And that’s a good thing for everyone…

After enduring two spinal fusion surgeries in roughly two years, the 32-year old father of two is calling it quits. The Texas Rangers lose a team leader and clubhouse favorite, as well as a player who batted .305 with 23 home runs and 98 RBIs as recently as last season.

At face value, his loss is significant but looking only slightly below the surface we can see it’s a blessing in disguise.

For Prince, the decision was simple. The once-durable slugger risks permanent damage if he continued to play. This holds true if he lost weight, changed his swing, or played part time. The damage has already been done.

Fielder, a noted family man, has banked  (OK, not A-Rod amounts but you get the drift) and still stands to make money after his departure. As long as he doesn’t officially retire he’s privy to it all.

Instead, Fielder will be declared “medically disabled” by doctors. This allows him to collect the remaining balance on his contract and essentially set his family up for life. Fielder, a noted family man, will no doubt miss the game, but choosing between his family and the game – his family will win every time.

Especially when he still stands to collect $96M. Today is a sad day for the Fielder family but this is probably a blessing in disguise for them.

So, how exactly is that good for the Texas Rangers?

Prince Fielder still gets paid but the Rangers are only on the hook for a portion of it. According to Maury Brown at Forbes, the Rangers are only on the hook for $9M per season (until the deal expires in 2020). The remaining balance is divided between the Detroit Tigers ($6M per season) and the Rangers insurance policy ($9M per season).

$9M may still sound like a lot but considering in June, SI listed it as one of the worst contracts in all of baseball – reducing it $9M per year is getting off extremely easy for the Rangers.

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The second reason this should be seen as good news to the Texas Rangers is it answers questions. It answers them quickly and definitively. Fielder was horrible this season and many worried it was a permanent decline. Given the money owed him, the Rangers would have been forced to wait it out and see. In the meantime, they would have to make other roster decisions.

Decisions partially based on Prince Fielder being on the roster.

By this happening now, the Rangers have ample time to digest and plan. Before this, many thought Mitch Moreland was playing his last season with the Rangers. Now? Now, maybe not. Additionally, the Rangers can now start to piece together next season’s infield and lineup.

As a bonus, Joey Gallo and Jurickson Profar will see more games and more opportunities in 2017. The DH role could be split up a number of different ways without the pressure to play “the $96 Million Dollar Man” more often than he should.

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It’s sad to bid Prince goodbye, but all things considered, both the Rangers and Prince Fielder are getting off extremely well in this situation.