"The mystery team pulled off another coup.

With the Prince Fielder negotiations coming to a head Tuesday, it was not the Washington Nationals or the Texas Rangers or any of the other rumored favorites who secured the slugger. Instead it was the Detroit Tigers, the American League Central champions, who jumped into the race at the last minute and walked away with Fielder for a reported nine years and $214 million.

"Our pockets are deep, but they are not that deep," Nationals manager Davey Johnson told reporters at the Baseball Assistance Team dinner in New York shortly after the news of Fielder's signing broke."