Will “Fielder’s Choice” keep Red Sox out of the World Series for 10 years?

A “Fielder’s Choice” play could keep the Red Sox out of the World Series for the next decade.

Before Red Sox fans assume that Prince Fielder is headed out of the American League and not a threat to their World Series chances, consider the possibility that a horror movie, “Son of Cecil,” may be scaring the Fenway Faithful during the next 10 years, especially in the AL playoffs.

Currently the “Fielder’s Choice” Cup handicappers, pundits and dimwits have the Nationals in the lead with Seattle a distant second and the Cubs, with new GM “Thief-O” Epstein feigning a rebuilding theme for his club, as a dark horse mudder.

Like most Super Star free agents, Fielder is likely to place one thing above the total salary offered; he wants to make a long-term deal that will cover the prime years of his career, but with a team that has the bling and a shot at the ring.   Fielder can get the bling from Seattle, but does he want to be The Next Ken Griffey, Jr. with lots of money and no chance for any World Series rings.

Or, would he rather spend his prime career years with a “serious contender,” a team that is likely to have a realistic shot at making it to the World Series. With the Angels and Rangers reloading and splitting the AL West into two sub-divisions: the “Winner-Wild Card Division” and the “Race For The Bottom Division,” Fielder will eschew Seattle.

Both the Nationals and the Cubs would be serious contenders with the addition of the Prince of Fielder  batting cleanup and at 1b, but his best chance for appearances in the World Series would be with the Texas Rangers, who are nearly guaranteed a playoff slot with the Angels for the next decade.

"Q: How does this “Fielder’s Choice” play keep the Red Sox out of the World Series for the next decade?Rumor has it that the Rangers have a plan B; when it comes to Fielder, it will be Yu or him; they have concluded that, if Darvish wants a multi-year $100 million contract, that money would be better spent on Fielder."

Winning the rights to negotiate with Darvish does not tie their hands and their strategy now is to make Darvish a “reasonable” offer that they can afford, say a bit more than Dice-K signed for: $52 million for six years. [No doubt the Rangers recall that Dice-K needed Tommy John surgery in 2011.]

If Darvish takes a multi-year deal in the range of $52-72 million, the Rangers will feel they have paid a fair price for a very talented pitcher, who is at least a #3 slot starter and has the ceiling to become their ace.

BUT…

If Darvish holds out for more than $72 million, the Rangers can simply fail to come to an agreement and get their $51.7 million posting fee refunded.

If the Darvish Deal fails, the Rangers can take that $72 million and, tacking on another, say $28 million, buy ten years of Prince Fielder, who most experts believe will be in the prime of his very productive career. Also, when his weight, or age, become factors, he can be utilized as a DH for the remainder of his contract.

"Q: How does this “Fielder’s Choice” play keep the Red Sox out of the World Series for the next decade?A: Put Prince Fielder in the prime decade of his career on the already dominant Texas Rangers team and they knock the socks off the Boston Nine every year in the AL play-offs."

If the Darvish Deal fails, the Darvish Disaster begins; the Rangers get their $51.7 million first right to sign fee back and use it in a package to sign Prince Fielder for 10 years and creating a Lost Decade for Red Sox fans and another long wait for a Boston World Championship.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

For all the latest news and analysis from BoSox Injection, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or with our RSS feed.