In his evaluation of the Prince Fielder signing and its impact on the division, U-God noted that the Detroit Tigers just filled out the biggest contract in AL Central history. That made me wonder what the competition looked like, and here's what I was able to remember/discover. Let me know if I overlooked one.

1. Prince Fielder, 9 years, $214 million
Detroit, 2012

2. Joe Mauer, 8 years, $180 million
Minnesota, 2011

3. Miguel Cabrera, 8 years, $153 million
Detroit, 2008

4. Magglio Ordonez, 6 years, $90 million*
Detroit, 2005

5. Justin Verlander, 5 years, $80 million
Detroit, 2010

6. Justin Morneau, 6 years, $80 million
Minnesota, 2008

7. John Danks, 5 years, $65 million
Chicago, 2012

8. Alex Rios, 6 years, ~$62 million**
Chicago, 2009

9. Paul Konerko, 5 years, $60 million
Chicago, 2006

10. Travis Hafner, 4 years, $57 million
Cleveland, 2009

* Contract was originally five years and $75 million, but an $18 million option for 2010 vested, nullifying a $3 million buyout.
** Approximate amount of money owed to Rios at the time the White Sox claimed him off waivers.

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Summing up an eventful day at the bottom of the AL Central...

After amassing a bushel of prospects to build baseball's most enviable farm system, the Kansas City Royals finally began to reap the rewards last season with the promotions of Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez.

On Monday, Dayton Moore began the team-shaping stage by trading White Sox killer Melky Cabrera to the San Francisco Giants for enigmatic lefty Jonathan Sanchez. It's a trade that makes as much sense as you want it to make. After all, the Royals sold high to buy low, which is kinda weird.

On paper for 2012, it's fine. The two teams swapped unnecessary parts. The Giants didn't need Sanchez, but they did need a hitter. The Royals didn't need Cabrera, but they needed a starting pitcher who had a chance of being good. So both teams found a likely upgrade their weakest facets.

I'm not a big fan of Sanchez, though. He'll turn 29 in a fortnight, and walk problems have limited him to just one good year out of five. He's always been pegged as somebody with more potential than his current back-of-the-rotation profile would suggest, but time is running out, if it hasn't already. And even if he puts it all together, he'll be a free agent after the 2012 season unless the Royals act with an extension.

So this move doesn't register on the Richter scale for me like I thought it might. The Royals get the added bonus of opening up a spot for Lorenzo Cain, which is valuable in its own right. But I don't think Sanchez is one of the pitchers the Royals ultimately need, unlike, say, the way I thought Doug Fister was a great fit for Detroit.

Plus, Melky won't be around to batter Mark Buehrle anymore. Unless Buehrle isn't around to be battered. He's going to meet with the Marlins.

Reaction: Royals Review on the trade | Royals Review on Cain | McCovey Chronicles

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