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I know that the current concensus perception of Fielder is that he is a vastly superior bat than Sexson was (at the time he was acquired).  And, of course, he's better than Beltre, too.  But, how much?
Here is the Sexson career line from '97-'04 compared to the Fielder line through today:
Sexson - .271/.349/.528 - (per 162 = 39-HR; 120-RBI; 67-BB; 157-K)
Fielder - .282/.390/.540 - (per 162 = 37-HR; 106-RBI; 92-BB; 126-K)
Basically, Fielder walks more than Sexson did. 
How joyous was the 2005 season when Sexson went .263/.369/.541 (.910) with 39 HRs and 121 RBI?  Honestly, does anyone remember truly enjoying watching Sexson in his prime while the club was winning 69?  Or even when he hit 34 HRs the next season while winning 78?  Those seasons certainly didn't translate into ticket sales as attendance dropped 2,200 a game his first year and another 3,000 a game his second.
My point here is not to suggest Sexson was as good as Fielder.  He wasn't.  But, the difference is tied up almost completely in walks.  In regards to "excitement generation", Sexson was, in fact, what Fielder is today.
Me?  I love guys with good eyes.  I'd much rather have Fielder at age 28 than Sexson at 30.  But, the actual excitement level of new players is the most fleeting of all.  When signed, Cliff Lee fever erupted.  By the end of May, any enthusiasm about the 2010 season was over.
Yes, die hard fans will come out to see a superstar on a bad team.  I grew up watching Dale Murphy, Bob Horner and Phil Neikro slogging through losing season after losing season.  But, die hards are not most fans.  Most fans want winning and winning alone.  And most don't give a hoot as to how the winning is done.  The Dodgers and Oriole pitching dominated teams drew just as well as the lumber dominant Red Sox or Reds teams from the 70s.
Did Toronto attendance soar when Bautista became the premier HR hitter in baseball?  No.  Toronto had their worst attendance since 1982 in 2010 when Bautista was hitting 54 HRs.  The notion that a "star" player will sell tickets for a perennial losing team sounds true.  But, it isn't. 
My position is that Fielder will not speed up the rebuilding process.  Best case, he'll slow it down.  Worst case, he'll completely derail it - and effectively 2012 will reset the franchise clock to 2005 as the club repeats the same basic mistake it made when it bought in Sexson and Beltre.