"The Tigers used a lot of currency to sign Prince Fielder: $214 million worth.

But it's the currency that's green in experience and not on paper that perhaps best points to the philosophy the Tigers preach these days.

It's a philosophy that agent Scott Boras thinks largely helped the team cement itself as AL favorites in 2012.

"The intellect here was ahead of the curve in Major League Baseball," Boras said at Fielder's signing last month."