According to a report from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, that would be a yes.
Heyman reported today that the Dodgers were very much the "mystery" team that emerged in the Prince Fielder sweepstakes, making an offer of seven years and $160. There would've been an opt-out clause after four years, in which he could've taken his talents to the American League to DH if his skills declined.
What prevented this deal from happening? One man: Victor Martinez. The second he went down with a torn ACL, the richer Tigers jumped in with a mammoth nine-year, $214 million deal that obviously blew away the competition. Goodbye, LA; hello, Detroit. And who can blame him?
This is obviously an interesting story for a couple of reasons. One, it showed that the Dodgers, despite slashing payroll to around $90 million this season (low for a big-market franchise), were willing to make a play on a major free agent. Frank McCourt gave his blessing for this deal, which was pretty much his only option. Think about it: would he have dumb enough to say no to this and have word get out? Talk about being Public Enemy #1! Even he's not that stupid.
The second interesting part is that Fielder was willing to take this deal and join a team that's not as good as his old one. Matt Kemp is a stud, Andre Ethier could be, and that's about it. I know money talks, but it's not like he didn't have offers from other good teams, such as the Rangers. The arrival of a new owner in April certainly helps in that the future isn't total bleak.
Who know what could have been, as the Tigers now get the mighty slugger. Maybe the Dodgers will be happy in the long run that they didn't get Fielder, as big guys like him have a tendency to break down faster. Still, watching Kemp and Fielder in the middle of the order would have been nasty. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.
And so it goes for the Dodgers yet again.
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