In a tough economy it is hard to imagine how professional athletes are able to make as much money as they do. Year after year each contract seems to exceed the previous year.

When news broke of first baseman Prince Fielder’s enormous contract with the Detroit Tigers, a 9-year deal worth $214 million, most people felt that this was horrendous. How could someone get that much money, and how could Fielder get that much money when it seemed as though his options were running out.

We decided to sit down and argue over whether or not this contract was good for the game of baseball or bad for the sport in this week’s version of the Hot Corner.

Nick: Contracts in baseball have always been an issue ever since we watched the New York Yankees start to hand out million dollar contracts in the ‘70s. Now, because we are in a rough economy, we tend to look at these types of signings as blasphemous. I believe this is great for the game of baseball, and even though it is not going to slow down anytime soon, I really do not want it to stop.

I love seeing huge contracts, especially being a fan of the richest team in the sport. These multi-million-dollar deals make me smile because when the player gets injured or plays awful, we look at that contract and see what a mistake the team made.
These guys are in the entertainment business and they should be paid accordingly. Alex Rodriguez set the bar for these gigantic contracts, and just like any other record, it too will be eclipsed some day.

Sam: Looking at the Prince Fielder contract I see only one thing: greed. Scott Boras has had a reputation of getting players what they “deserve,” but with Fielder this is too much. Granted, he has one of the best bats in the game, but his defense ranks as one of the poorest in the league. Also, for over $200 million how much bang for the buck is Detroit going to get?

The deal the Angels gave Pujols was absurd, but this deal went over the top. Detroit better hope that their $200 million man is still churning out homeruns and RBI’s in his mid-30s or else Detroit is headed for the cellar.

The team aspect of baseball needs to come back. Instead of shelling out millions on one player, spread that money around. Take the Tampa Bay Rays standpoint. It just might lead up to a World Series berth. I would rather put out the best nine players that I possibly could than risk it with two “stars” and a bunch of nobodies.

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