"Let's trade Prince Fielder"

[Pudster13]

This is the quote we all heard from the majority of Milwaukee Brewers fans all last offseason.

 

The man had a slight off year in 2008 and everybody seemed to jump off his bandwagon.

 

Now the man who fans called out for being fat, not eating meat, having daddy issues, and not being able to play defense has fans hanging off of his bandwagon once again.

 

Also, I'd just like to clarify a point that many fans seem to be confused about.

 

Even though Fielder signed a two-year deal with the Brewers for $18M this last offseason (for 2009-2010 seasons), he is still under team control (arbitration eligible) through the 2011 season before he will become a free agent.

[joepepsi]

To his credit Prince looks thinner this year than last, and, from my vantage point his defense is much better.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

What is the point of this post?

[RightFieldCoder]

I think this thread is to repudiate the thread in the Trade Rumors forum asking to see what we could get if we trade Prince now or this off season.

[SeriesFinale]

Yeah, I think the reasoning behind trading Prince down the road has much more to do with the economic realities the Brewers face (and the league they're in) than any kind of "sophomore slump" and people jumping off the bandwagon or whatever

[Invader3K]

I know I've harped on this a lot lately, but at this point I think I'd just like to see the Brewers hang onto Prince. Maybe trade him before the 2011 trade deadline if the team is out of contention mid-season, and there's no chance he can be re-signed, but that's it. I don't want to see him traded for a couple of prospects who may or may not pan out...I'd almost rather take the comp picks. Trading him creates a huge hole in the offense that would not be easily filled.

 

I'm also not convinced Melvin and Attanasio won't make a strong push to try and re-sign him. There's only so many realistic destinations for a guy like Prince who will command a huge salary. Everyone used to say he'd end up in pinstripes one day as almost a forgone conclusion, but with Teixeira locked up, they have no real need unless they want him as a DH...and I don't think Prince will settle for that at this point.

 

They were going to offer CC over $100 million as a "special case". Maybe Fielder will be viewed as a new "special case".

[Pudster13]

The main point of this post is to explain to fans who are confused by Fielder two year deal that he signed. Fans who thought that we only have Fielder under control through next season, were obviously more willing to trade him sooner rather than later.

 

Also wanted to point point out how having a good half season and winning a HR Derby makes Brewer fans switch from wanting to trade Prince Fielder immediately to wanting to sign him long term. Just giving some credit to Melvin for not operating under the same "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" attitude most fans have when wanting to make trades.

[Fatter than Joey]

This is the quote we all heard from the majority of Milwaukee Brewers fans all last offseason.

 

False. The majority of the people here even entertaining trading Prince, would do so after the 2010 season.

 

The man had a slight softmore slump and everybody seemed to jump off his bandwagon.

 

It's "sophomore", and again most people here recognized his value to the team.

 

Now the man who fans called out for being fat

 

Prince is fat -- by any sort of health standard. It's a legitimate concern.

 

and not being able to play defense

 

Prince is not a good defender -- he has certainly made strides, but he deserved the criticism he got for his performance.

 

Also, I'd just to clarify a point that many fans seem to be confused about.

 

Most people here are aware of that -- Trading Prince in 2011 makes little sense, trading him with 1+ years of control would reap more harvest.

 

The point you seem confused about, is that people here when talking about trading Prince, are not doing so, because they think Prince sucks, rather that he can be cheaply replaced and help fill some pitching holes we may have in the future.

[Fatter than Joey]

The main point of this post is to explain to fans who are confused by Fielder two year deal that he signed.

 

I think people here are very clear on Prince's contract.

 

Fans who thought that we only have Fielder under control through next season, were obviously more willing to trade him sooner rather than later

 

I think the variables that are of more concern is what we have in AAA, and what is being offered, and where the Brewers are in the standings.

 

Also wanted to point point out how having a good half season and winning a HR Derby makes Brewer fans switch from wanting to trade Prince Fielder immediately to wanting to sign him long term.

 

Again I think this is false -- I know my opinion on trading Prince hasn't changed at all, only what I expect to get in return -- Prince's stock has risen for sure. I think the more Prince's stock rises, the more inevitable a trade is.

 

Just giving some credit to Melvin for not operating under the same "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" attitude most fans have when wanting to make trades.

 

Melvin has shopped Prince -- we just were not offered a good enough return. Trading Prince is a reality DM has to deal with. He just has more leverage now.

[CheezWizHed]

I can't remember one person who wanted to trade Prince because of a "poor" year last year (which was his 3rd full season, not his sophomore year).

 

Main reasons to trade Prince:

1) A doubt that we can keep him past arbitration.

2) He could bring in a good pitcher (or more) in return

3) Long term concern about sustaining play with his weight.

 

When we traded LaPorta, I think the best replacement for Prince also left the organization. So my desire to trade Prince declined for the 2009 offseason. Gamel might fit the bill, but I'm hoping he stays at 3B. So I'm thinking the best time would be prior to the 2011 offseason.

 

However, if he signed a contract like Braun did, I would be more than happy.

[pretendastronaut]

I really don't get this thread. Maybe you can make an argument that a "majority" of Brewer fans wanted to trade Prince, but I don't think there's justification for remotely believing a majority of Brewerfan.net members wanted to trade him off last year. It seems a holier-than-thou first post aimed at the totally wrong audience.

[lodiness]

We have control of Prince through the 2011 season, correct? I've been battling this guy at work about this all morning. Is there a good website that has contract info that I can show him?

[gobrew23]

I found this SI article from when Prince signed the 2-year deal in the offseason that talks about being under Brewers control through 2011.

[Diskono]

Prince is definitely under control until 2011, but its not obvious to everyone. Last week I emailed a local sports talk show about potentially trading him, and mentioned that he was under our control for two more seasons after this. The host read my email, and stopped and said something like "first off, that is wrong" after reading that part. So yeah, not everybody gets it.

[GB12]

You are so smart. You didn't want to trade Prince when some others did. You are amazing for predicting that he'd have a good year.

 

That's what you wanted to hear, right?

[Baldkin]

http://www.rotoworld.com/CONTENT/playerpages/player_contract.aspx?sport=MLb&id=3829

[DougJones43]

The man had a slight softmore slump and everybody seemed to jump off his bandwagon.

 

It's "sophomore"

 

Can we just pretend that calling it a "softmore" slump was an astute and witty quip about the potential correlation between Prince's chubby physique and his struggles last season? I think it would make me feel better about this thread...

 

Like others have already said, part of the reason people brought up his name (and still do) as trade bait at some point is because he likely won't sign longterm with the Brewers. Also, people weren't totally out of line to be disappointed with Fielder last year -- he showed up out of shape and upset with his contract situation, had a down year with the bat, and did in fact play very bad defense.

[RightFieldCoder]

We have control of Prince through the 2011 season, correct? I've been battling this guy at work about this all morning. Is there a good website that has contract info that I can show him?

 

Brewerfan.net's salary page! The gray boxes mean we control the player that year, but the current contract does not extend to that season. It can also be used to remind you that Bill Hall is the 4th highest paid Brewer this year.

[mkm13]

I wouldn't mind trading Prince assuming the price is right (either now or the offseason). IMO his value will never be higher and 1st base is the easiest position to fill.

[Invader3K]

I don't get why everyone is jumping down Pudster's throat. I think his post may have been a little bit extreme, but I think he's bringing up a valid subject worth discussing.

 

Also, I have to question this statement by mkm13: "1st base is the easiest position to fill."

 

While it's true from a defensive standpoint it may be the easiest, I don't see a solution in the immediate future that would come close to matching Fielder's production. Or are we talking possible trade ideas, which would move us into a much grayer area?

[Pudster13]

Personally, I think most Brewer fans turned on Prince a little after his dugout incident with Manny Parra last year, which is understandable.

 

I just didn't think it was fair for fans to criticize Prince as much as they did last offseason for the weight issue, the non meat-eating issue, his daddy (Cecil) issues, and his defensive issues.

 

I'd just like to congratulate Prince for all the hard work, as he has proved his doubters/detracters wrong so far in 2009, much to the teams benefit and Brewer fans delight.

[Baldkin]

1B, on an offensive and defensive value sum total, is the easiest position to fill, by far.

 

I mean, for example, the Cubs basically are stuck with 3 above average first basemen on their roster (Fox, Hoffpauir and Lee). Adam Dunn signed for a mere 8 million this off season.

 

Its the easiest defensive position on the field, as a result, anyone can play it, so it gives you the widest range of talent to fill any void there. When compared to Shortstop, where there's 10 people who can play it defensively above average and can OPS over .750 in MLB.

[Tbadder]

I totally don't get this thread. Why would people who believe Prince should be traded think any differently just because he is putting up MVP type numbers? In particular he should be traded when his value is exceedingly high. And if we were offered a stud young pitcher and one or two high ceiling prospects that could fill other holes why wouldn't we trade him? I'm confused.

[sgtcluels]

I think my brain just exploded.

[UeckerAddict]

Prince and Brauny are our two most valuable hitters by such a wide margin that I cannot conjured up the superlatives to make my point. Yes, Prince is a first baseman, but would he be that much more valuable if he was a right fielder? Would you really see Hoffpauir or Fox as an adequate replacement for someone like Prince? I don't care what position he plays, it is no easy task to find that kind of hitter to be your cleanup man, especially as a small market team.

 

I have always wanted to sign Prince long term because A.) he is one of the best hitters in the league and B) for a very selfish reason- I've become accustomed to him and have become a big fan. I haven't felt that we've had such superstars to gawk over in Milwaukee (Braun and Prince) since the days of Molly and Yount. Oh, and he does help us win. Whether we can actually get him to sign a long term deal is another matter. He may be primed for the large markets and he really seemed to get his feathers ruffled when we gave him a stingy contract two years in a row. Hopefully Braun can go to work on convincing him to stay here. Scott Boras probably wouldn't be into it, though.