A number of prominent MLB players have seen their careers come to a close in 2016. It appears you can add Rangers DH Prince Fielder to the list.
Sources: Prince Fielder’s career appears over. #Rangers expected to hold press conference tomorrow.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 9, 2016
#Rangers’ Fielder underwent his second neck surgery on July 29. He is guaranteed $24M annually through 2020. Not known if TEX has insurance.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 9, 2016
Fielder is just 32, and hasn’t played for the Rangers since July 18th. For the season, he’s hitting a paltry .212/.292/.334 with eight home runs. Last season, Fielder played in 158 games for Texas and slashed .305/.378/.463 with 23 homers. The neck was also an issue in 2014, when he played in just 42 games during his first season in Arlington.
Fielder is in the fifth season of a monstrous nine-year, $214 million deal that he signed with the Tigers before the 2012 season. He was traded to the Rangers following the 2013 season for Ian Kinsler in a move that has worked out splendidly for Detroit and less so for Texas.
If Fielder were to retire, he’d presumably leave the rest of his contract – approximately $103 million (which includes the roughly $7 million still owed to him this season) – on the table, but that’s not a guarantee. He could not “technically” retire, and still collect the rest of his contract from the team, much like Alex Rodriguez is doing with the Yankees.
UPDATE: in fact, that’s exactly what is happening. He’s not retiring in those exact terms, he’s just “medically disabled”.
To be clear: Prince Fielder is not retiring. He is medically disabled and doctors will not clear him to play, sources say.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 9, 2016
When a player retires, he effectively renounces the rest of his contract. Fielder is not doing that. Again, the money is guaranteed.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 9, 2016
There will be a lot of words written about Fielder and his career in the coming days if he does end up retiring, but one quick note on his career. If he never plays another game, he’ll end his career with 319 home runs.
Fielder’s father, former Tigers slugger Cecil, ended his career with…319 home runs. Now that’s eerie.
