Prince to Boston

[barbados73]

I am going to start off by saying I know this is not going to happen, but I am just wondering if the deal was on the table would people do it. I was reading earlier today that Boston and San Diego were talking Adrian Gonzalez for Buchholz and Ellsbury. What would people think of a deal of Prince for Buchholz, Ellsbury, and Lars Anderson(possible future 1B)? Go out and sign a Nick Johnson, Jermaine Dye, or whomever else to play 1B(or possibly move Gamel or Hart(played 1B in minors) to 1B). This would give the Brewers another good young SPer, CF of the present and future and possibly their 1B of the future. Just a thought and I know it is not going to happen.

[nate82]

I would rather go with Buchholz, Bard, and Almanzar/Kelly. Almanzar is who I would rather get than Kelly though and it looks as though the Red Sox are high on Kelly though so I would stay away from him and try to get Almanzar from them and see if Almanzar can bulk up a little bit and switch him from 3B to 1B or just put Gamel at 1B and have Almanzar come up as a 3B.

 

That is who I would target for a Prince trade though I believe the Rangers are probably a better team to trade Prince to. I would start with Smoak and then add in a pitcher or two and that would be it.

[HiAndTight]

When you see the rumored traded of Smoak and Feliz to Florida for Josh Johnson a pitcher who's already had a TJ surgery, you have to salivate at what you might be able to get out of the Rangers for Prince.

 

 

Perhaps they simply wouldn't be interested, but I'd take the same package they offered up for Johson and then be happy with just another solid reliever or something just a little bit extra to sweeten the deal(which I wouldn't have needed before seeing what they were willing to give the 'Fins).

[Kelbysdaddy]

prince to texas would be interesting, maybe if we sent a pitcher with prince we could get feliz, smoak, and crush davis. that would be pretty sweet.

[paul253]

Texas and Boston seem like good matches, but right now I would ask look at Boston. They're apparently going pretty hard after Gonzalez but SD is asking too much. I don't know what they are asking, but maybe the Brewers could make something work. I think we all can agree that Prince isn't going to re-sign with Milwaukee. I don't really want to trade him now that we picked up a decent arm in Wolf, but if we can get Bucholz, a cheap, talented young pitcher, and Anderson, someone to replace Fielder, plus maybe another arm, that would help the team for years. Same with Texas and Smoak plus pitching.

[Tbadder]

Well, that's what I was going to ask. When Boston gets Adrian--now what? Where will Prince go? Will that drive down his price enough to keep him?

[Robideaux]

Lars Anderson put up a line of 233/ .328/ .345 in his first full season of AA. He had been good in limited experience the year before, so I don't know what happened and he still has value, but that is a big red flag.

 

If I am trading Prince to the Sox right now I am asking for Bucholtz, Bard, Casey Kelly, and Ryan Westmoreland. I'm sure the Sox wouldn't do that.

[nate82]

Well, that's what I was going to ask. When Boston gets Adrian--now what? Where will Prince go? Will that drive down his price enough to keep him?

No I don't think that will drive down Prince's price at all. There are other teams out there that would be looking for a DH or a 1B. The Angels come to mind as another team that has a lot of pitching depth in the minors that could be a good option for trading Prince to. You also have the White Sox (don't really have the prospects to do it though), Dodgers, and even the Red Sox again you could even make a case for the Giants, Yankees, and the Orioles.

 

The Red Sox even if they get Gonzalez could still need a DH especially if Ortiz doesn't improve this next season. The Red Sox minor league system would definitely be nearly depleted though of anything the Brewers would want for Prince so that would hurt.

[TheFyl]

Am I the only one who feels Prince is worth more than all of these offers have suggested? He's a stud, definitely top 4 first basemen in the game and one of the best sluggers out there. Getting a starter and a Center fielder and some minor league player? I'd be awfully pissed off if that happened.

[nate82]

Am I the only one who feels Prince is worth more than all of these offers have suggested? He's a stud, definitely top 4 first basemen in the game and one of the best sluggers out there. Getting a starter and a Center fielder and some minor league player? I'd be awfully pissed off if that happened.

The Rangers deal I proposed and that others have talked about wouldn't be a bad deal at all. Smoak is being compared to Teixeira with a little bit more power in his bat and the Rangers have a lot of good young power arms that the Brewers could choose from. If the Brewers could get Feliz and Smoak for Fielder that would be the #1 and #2 prospects in the game. I don't really like the Boston deal though I'm not that high on Ellsbury I believe the Brewers could get a better player than Ellsbury if they are trading Prince.

[JoeHova]

I don't like any of these trades. They aren't nearly as bad as what I've been seeing proposed on Mariner message boards though. Stuff like Brandon Morrow and a mid-level prospect.

[Yolk]

the only thing right now I'd feel good about gettin in a Prince deal is Jason Heyward... and that's not gonna happen

[Kelbysdaddy]

none of these have really given much option to replace prince at 1b. texas would probably be the only one with davis. texas's money issues might also be going away soon with the team being sold soon. lars anderson could be decient but in no way is he ready for the majors and i really dont think any of you need to be reminded that we have NOTHING in the minors for 1b. if we could go with texas and get davis smoak and feliz (we'd probably have to give something else, hart would be a good idea and move gamel to right or left and put braun in right) we would have a killer line-up. smoak would be great after next year at 3b.

1b- davis

2b-weeks

ss-escobar

3b- mcgehee(until smoak is ready)

lf/rf- braun and gamel

cf- gomez

sp-

gallardo

wolf

feliz

bush

parra

 

that looks pretty awesome to me. definatly better than chicago, l.a., and most of the nl.

[JohnBriggs12]

Assuming SD is open to dealing Adrian Gonzalez, why essentially "flood the market" by doubling the amount of available premier 1B? It would lower the value of both. If Fielder were out there being shopped, the Padres couldn't hold up Boston to the extent they are now. One big reason not to trade Fielder is that teams can get productive guys who play that position without giving up premier prospects assuming those teams have premier bats elsewhere in their lineups.

 

It's really tough to get anywhere close to fair value for Fielder but it's certainly impossible with big bats still on the FA market and Adrian Gonzalez seemingly available for the right price. If the Brewers were ever to trade Fielder they should wait until there are at least two teams desperate enough to bid up the offers.

[Kelbysdaddy]

Assuming SD is open to dealing Adrian Gonzalez, why essentially "flood the market" by doubling the amount of available premier 1B? It would lower the value of both. If Fielder were out there being shopped, the Padres couldn't hold up Boston to the extent they are now. One big reason not to trade Fielder is that teams can get productive guys who play that position without giving up premier prospects assuming those teams have premier bats elsewhere in their lineups.

 

It's really tough to get anywhere close to fair value for Fielder but it's certainly impossible with big bats still on the FA market and Adrian Gonzalez seemingly available for the right price. If the Brewers were ever to trade Fielder they should wait until there are at least two teams desperate enough to bid up the offers.

besides gonzalez, name me another big bat 1b as good as prince that is on the market right now...... yeah there isnt any. i'm sure there are plenty of teams looking to upgrade at a position that pretty much requires power. is anyone else going after adrian besides boston? i havnt heard of anyone. if there was another guy like prince or adrian out there i think you might hear other teams start mentioning that they are looking. what big bats are still available on the fa market that are not named jason or matt. derosa is good but his bat isnt a team changer for anyone.

[Invader3K]

This talk is all well and fine, but I sincerely doubt Fielder gets dealt this off-season. The Brewers are trying to go for it right now, not rebuild. I could see them trading him at the deadline in July if the Brewers are out of it.

 

As far as Gonzalez, supposedly Baltimore may make a play for him, but I kind of doubt it. I think he'll end up in Boston.

[804Sox]

I should premise this by saying that i think Gonzales is Better than Fielder. He's a great hitter, on a cheap contract, whose career stats have been deflated by playing a lot of games in Petco. Unlike Fielder, who is another great hitter, he's also an ELITE defender at 1B, not just adequate.

 

Thus, if the Sox aren't willing to trade Ellsbury and Buchholz for Gonzales, you're probably not going to get both for Fielder. With Reddick, Kalish, Lin et al on the horizon and Cameron signed to a 2 yr deal, i wouldn't be opposed to trading Ellsbury, but I value pitchers like Buchholz very highly. I wold trade Ells and Casey Kelly for Gonzales, but not Fielder. For Prince I might give up something like Ells, Lars Anderson, Michael Bowden, and another prospect (not named Westmoreland, Kelly, or Reddick). That night bot be quite enough though. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. I'd definitely throw in Almanzar.

 

Re: nate82 - I think your optimism vis-a-vis Almanzar is a bit much. He's got great tools and apparently looked very smooth on D this past season, but he is the definition of RAW offensively. His swing needs a lot of work, he rolls over too many pitches, etc. Kelly is an incredibly polished pitcher who, in my opinion, has a very high floor. I don't think there's much question that he'll be a MLB pitcher. Unfortunately, his velo may preclude him from being an true #1, but he's still young enough to bulk up and add a couple mph. Lester added 4 mph b/w HS and his MLB debut and is one of the hardest throwing lefty starters in the game. If Kelly can add 2, I think he'll be in good shape with such good command. With Almanzar, you're essentially getting a lottery ticket. He COULD be great, but really hasn't shown the type of development you'd expect in his time in the system thus far. Still young and still toolsy, but you're definitely taking a lot of risk. I'll tale Kelly any day. In fact, I probably wouldn't put Almanzar in the top 20 Red Sox prospects, where I don't think you can rate Kelly any lower than 4 or 5 (Westmoreland, Reddick, Kalish, Anderson?), and could arguably put him at #1.

[sheetswannabe]

Keep in mind that Adrian has played in arguably the worst hitters ballpark, so expect his numbers to rise.

[Oldcity]

If the Red Sox aren't willing to trade Ellsbury and Buchholz for Gonzalez (or Fielder), then I don't really understand the Red Sox.

[TooLiveBrew]

For Prince I might give up something like Ells, Lars Anderson, Michael Bowden, and another prospect (not named Westmoreland, Kelly, or Reddick). That night bot be quite enough though. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. I'd definitely throw in Almanzar.

 

My (at best) semi-informed take on those prospects is the definition of a quantity deal. In dealing one of the best hitters in the game, I would rather target one or two very high-ceiling & productive players than take more guys with lesser talent.

[trwi7]

My (at best) semi-informed take on those prospects is the definition of a quantity deal. In dealing one of the best hitters in the game, I would rather target one or two very high-ceiling & productive players than take more guys with lesser talent.

Agreed. If that's the best offer we get for Fielder, it's much better just to keep him. Not take on a bunch of mediocre prospects

[Invader3K]

Yeah, if you're going to trade Prince now, we should be getting at minimum two highly touted, high ceiling type prospects, and maybe even one or two lower tier guys. If no team is willing to pony up, then you keep him and go for it the next two years.

[naivin]

The only thing that will drive down the price on Prince is his looming free agency, and the league-wide knowledge that the Brewers have no shot at signing him. The Brewers are not alone in that boat, which significantly shrinks the market of teams that will be willing to trade for him...serious playoff contenders only. Now, take out the teams that have no real need/use for him...Yankees, Cardinals, Phillies, etc. and the pool of teams willing to give up top level prospects becomes extremely small.

 

While I am pleased we will have him the entire season, I fear the only thing we will get in return when he does leave, is a compensation draft pick.

[Weirdos19]

If Prince and Gomez could net us Ellsbury, Bucholz, and Bard, I think you do it now. If they need us to even payroll out, take Drew and platoon him with Hart. If we can move Prince and not have to eat salary in return, we could easily pick up a lefty first baseman (Damon?).

[JohnBriggs12]

I fear the only thing we will get in return when he does leave is a compensation draft pick

 

That and about $12-15 million in salary relief that could buy you some pretty good talent is nothing to sneeze at nor is the opportunity to have 2 more years to watch him paired with Braun. That's all assuming there's zero chance of his signing an extension. Fielder is the Brewer version of Pujols. I don't think Attanasio is going to let him walk away without a huge effort and that makes the chances of him staying while not great, a lot better than zero.

 

Bottom line though is: salary relief = compensation. Eventually, if you take multiple players for him, those guys will have to be paid sooner or later too (Ellsbury sooner, Bucholz later)