This Day in Baseball History

2012 - Tigers lock up Prince Fielder with $214-million contract

The Detroit Tigers sign free-agent slugger Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214-million deal.

Fielder's deal is the richest in team history and makes him the fifth-highest paid player in baseball. He's also just the fourth player in MLB history to receive a $200-million contract.

The signing helps the Tigers recover from Victor Martinez's season-ending injury and reunites Fielder with his Detroit roots. Fielder famously hit home runs during batting practice as a 12-year-old while his father Cecil Father played for the Tigers during the 1990s.

Fielder, 27, averaged 40 homers and 113 RBIs over the previous five years in Milwaukee. The Brewers' 2002 first-round pick hit a league-leading 50 homers in just his second full season in the league.

The slugging first baseman would get dealt to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Ian Kinsler just two years later. Fielder hit a combined 55 homers and posted an .878 OPS during his two seasons in Detroit.

Birthdays 

1987 - Hector Noesi
1987 - Jemile Weeks