Jim Leyland, Miguel Cabrera embrace switch to third base to accommodate Fielder

Detroit— So, which one is it?

Has Miguel Cabrera merely agreed to play third base now that the Tigers have signed Prince Fielder to play first?

Or does he genuinely want to play third base?

When all the happy talk of a news conference subsides, there's a big difference.

If Cabrera has merely agreed, he's taking one for the team. Whenever something goes wrong, in that case, he could resent the switch. Or begin to resent it.

But if Cabrera really wantsto move back to his former position, he'll fight through any obstacles.

On Friday, after a rough drive to his home outside Pittsburgh, manager Jim Leyland left no doubt about Cabrera's willingness to switch.

"I think he wants to show the world he can play third base," Leyland said. "I don't think this is going to be bad. He told me he wants to play there."

Enough said?

The Tigers would not have signed Fielder without Cabrera's willingness to switch. They also would not have signed him without being convinced Cabrera's willingness was real.

Heavy works best

This is not just an "OK, if I have to" agreement from Cabrera. All indications are he's fully embracing the switch.

And it won't require a body makeover for him to do it. The Tigers won't ask him to lose a lot of weight.

"Everybody is all hung up on what he looks like and the fact he's heavy," Leyland said. "Sure, I want him to lose a little bit of weight, but I'll tell you what, not too much.

"When you get conscious of your weight, you can lose strength along with weight. You can lose some self-confidence, too, and maybe you don't perform as well. That's no good."

Also no good were the conditions on Leyland's drive home after leaving Thursday's news conference at Comerica Park to introduce Fielder.

"Trucks were spitting stuff up." Leyland said. "It was rainy; it was foggy. It was brutal the whole way, including some spots where it was a whiteout."

So a good day ended badly? Is that what he's saying?

On the contrary, a good day ended up "as one of the best days of my life," Leyland said.

Think about it: He'd just left an event he didn't foresee happening. The Tigers had just signed one of the premier sluggers in the game, and along the way, Leyland detoured to have dinner with his daughter, Kellie, who is a student at Kent State.

"It was a great day for the Tigers," Leyland said. "A great day to be their manager. And if the weather had been better, it would have been one of the great rides I've ever had.

"But at least it wasn't ice."

Leyland ready to manage

In other words, it was the reality of the situation. Deal with it.

Like dealing with the reality of having Cabrera back at third. Not ideal, but workable.

And besides, there was too much for Leyland to be happy about to let fog and rain get him down.

"I'm still in shock about it," he said of Fielder's signing. "I just kept thinking about this: Within two weeks of Victor Martinez getting hurt, and with the fans being so down about it, we sign Prince Fielder and we're at the biggest press conference I've ever seen.

"I know what some people are thinking. They're wondering about the nine years on his contract. I'm not worried about that. I just hope I'm still upright in nine years."

Nine years isn't really the immediate concern for Leyland.

With the addition of Fielder, Leyland now faces the enviable chore of putting out a lineup that includes two mega-sluggers — Fielder and Cabrera — and a host of above-average bats — Brennan Boesch, Delmon Young, Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila.

"I'm going to do what I do," Leyland said. "Manage the team to the best of my ability. We're moving some pieces around. That's my job. As I've said, if you can't handle pressure when you're 67, you're in the wrong business."

Martinez will be back in a year, but it won't complicate matters.

"He doesn't have to worry about any comments he hears or any hearsay," Leyland said of Martinez, who is expected to undergo surgery in the next couple days. "'Get this (torn left ACL) taken care of. You are our DH when you come back.' Victor needs to be pumped up a little bit. He's down in the dumps."

As is veteran third baseman Brandon Inge, whose playing time has vanished.

"I think he can still be a big part of (the team)," Leyland said. "But right now, he's down.

"I understand that. I feel bad about it. As I've said, the perfect player would combine Cabrera's offense and Inge's defense, but there are no perfect players."

Heck, there aren't even any perfect rides home.

But almost.

tom.gage@detnews.com

twitter.com/Tom_Gage