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I know it's never comfortable for us, as fans, to support a contract that pays for past production - as Fielder's (and Pujols' and probably Reyes') contract undoubtedly will.
Unfortunately, we won't have that luxury in the midst of competition for a free agent contract in almost any case.  The club can't offer a contract that only includes a players' productive years and expect to compete in the marketplace.  If Florida is offering 9/200 to Pujols, a 5/130 is probably not going to fly.  Players want security.  From a purely financial standpoint, they could in theory do it by front-loading the contract - making the contract more valuable in present dollars, but that isn't a real attractive option for teams either because of the affect on present flexibility.
If we're worried about contract length, then no high-profile FA signing would ever occur.  I guess that's a viable option too, but it does limit you when the teams you are trying to beat don't operate with the same fear.