Oh, rumor mill…you're adorable.
You know that Prince Fielder trade to the Texas Rangers that took everyone by surprise? Well, as it turns out, it might have been four months in the making and done to help restore some order in the clubhouse.
According to Diamond Hoggers, the Detroit Tigers unloaded Fielder because, get this, the five-time All-Star's wife was (allegedly) sleeping with one of his teammates.
"So at my real job…I am approached by a friend who played sports professionally. He’s got roots in the Detroit area and knows a lot of guys who know a lot of guys," the website reports. "He asks me if know how Miguel Cabrera really got re-injured last season. I tell him no."
Intrigued yet? I was. Here's the skinny.
Again, according to Diamond Hoggers, the American League MVP found out teammate Avisail Garcia was sleeping with Fielder's wife. Then, after getting in the middle of it all, gets in a fight with Garcia (or Fielder?). Apparently, it is during this scuffle that Cabrera re-injured himself.
This leads to the Tigers trading Garcia and then, four months later, parting ways with Fielder after his wife was (seemingly) a distraction.
Sounds legit, right? But, also, admittedly, a little far-fetched. So, I did what anyone else would do…I hit up the Googles and checked out some timelines.
Garcia was part of that three-team deal on July 30 that sent Jake Peavy to the Boston Red Sox. Also on July 30, Cabrera gets lifted from the Tigers game against the Washington Nationals after "aggravating" his old hip injury. He'd end up missing four games. Was the injury lingering from an earlier fight or from that night? Who knows?!?
In the week following the Garcia trade and subsequent Cabrera re-injury…Fielder's batting average dips ten points to a season-low .258. On August 15, the second-generation slugger files for divorce.
Now, I'm no conspiracy theorist (I'm lying…I totally am), but I've got the feeling Diamond Hoggers might on to something. But don't believe me…just ask former Tigers Denny McLain. Not long after Fielder was dealt, McLain was on WBBL talking about the move.
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Hold on.
Did McLain just say that there was "a lot of pain here between Fielder and a player or two" and then go on to "hint" that one might be a top prospect (Garcia) who was traded to the Chicago White Sox?
Yes, I believe he did. Will this be the last we hear about this craziness? Probably not.
Stay tuned.
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