There is a major difference between what the Tigers did by signing Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract, compared to if they had signed Yoenis Cespedes, the free agent Cuban outfielder, to the type of deal (reportedly $9 million per year) he is going to ink with Oakland.
Fielder is a proven commodity. The Tigers, like many franchises, have already benefited greatly from their local cable television deal. The Tigers get a reported $40 million per season for that deal with FOX, and figure to get a lot more by 2018. Baseball on TV is attracting more money now because it is less likely to be recorded as a live event, and advertisers see the value of people, especially in the male demographic, not flipping by the commercials.
Fielder is 27 years old and has put together stats so far which suggest he is going to the Hall of Fame. It's extremely unlikely his production will decline. Cespedes is as much an urban legend as a ballplayer at this stage. It's all about his measurables. Strength, speed, power- yet nobody knows if he can actually hit major league pitching.
It's not my money, but I do see where the Tigers could have afforded him. With the nucleus they have signed deep into the future - Fielder, Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander - they should be contenders for years. Tney will fill the seats at Comerica Park. Their television revenue will vault in the future, too.
Cespedes is 26. Theoretically, he would have helped the Tigers now. Is Delmon Young, the player he would have replaced in the lineup, part of their long-term future? Doesn't appear that way at this point. Certainly, signing Cespedes would have made more sense for the Tigers than Oakland, which unloaded pitchers Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill and Andrew Bailey because of monetary concerns this off season. Replay of my live video chat today on Red Wings, Lions draft and MSU and Michigan basketball:

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