What Is Your Max Prince Fielder Deal?

[TheCrew]

See ya later Prince - any NL team that comes anywhere close to that salary is crazy.

[sveumrules]

I made the same offer to my employer earlier today, still waiting for them to get back to me...

[Warning Track Power]

Let's see here, Ryan Braun, who has been a rookie of the year and the NL MVP just re-signed in 2011 for 5 years $105MM and Prince Fielder, who has won a HR Derby and a All-Star Game MVP, wants 8 years and $176MM. Sounds like a guy that is truly all about the money. Don't get me wrong, I love Prince but come on man. When does it become less about money and more about your place in baseball history?

 

I guess I will never be able to understand how additional millions, when you are already made 375x ($15MM) what the average American makes ($40k) in a year in 2011, are worth more than your legacy in MLB.

 

Whether its the Brewers or not, I think that's what makes Braun and his ilk all the more appealing to fans when they take below market dollars to stay in the city they came up to the Bigs in.

[yoshii8]

I think he can still have just as big of a part in baseball history even if he leaves Milwaukee. Its easy to say things like that as a fan, but I guarantee if you were in that situation it would be hard to turn down millions of dollars.

[DHonks]

The highest I would go to keep him is 6 years, $120 million

[StearnsFTW]

I would be much more on board with that plan if we had any prospects coming. But we don't for a few years. No sure things anyway. If I were, say, Kansas City, I would definitely subscribe to such a plan.

 

But don't you think we'd be ok between the guys we would get for Hart, Wolf, Marcum and McGehee, and the guys that are close to ready in Gamel, Green, Gindl, Schaefer, Peralta, Fiers and so on?

Yeah, maybe, but it'd be a lot easier if you had some "known quantities" in your own system. Like I said, I think it's a decent idea, but the deeper your talent pool, the better that idea becomes IMO.

 

I don't know how much you're getting for those guys either. You might get 2 good prospects for those 4 guys plus some other potential prospects. Hart gets you one, Marcum gets you one, Wolf may get you one, McGehee gets you nothing.

 

It's a thought though for sure. It would be extremely gutsy on Melvin's part to try it.

[cvollbrecht]

Apparently the Brewers would be willing to up their offer to 6/120 if needed.

 

@Buster_ESPN MILW last formal offer to Prince Fielder was 5/100, but as part of current talks, they've let it be known that they could stretch to 6/120.

 

followed by....

 

@Buster_ESPN Keep in mind MILW/Fielder talks -- it's a fluid situation, and MILW is probably in play unless somebody offers in the 170-200 range.

[Yeti73]

I stand by the 6/120 giving Prince an out after year two, similar to CC's deal with the Yanks. It gives Prince two years at a high salary with a good team and the opportunity to re-hit the market when he'll have more leverage (ie the big spenders will be looking for a DH). It makes sense to me, whereas going to a mediocre team for 170-200 wouldn't intrigue me much.

[clancyphile]

7 years, $140 million - with a mutual option of one year for $25 million. $5 million per year deferred from 2024 to 2030.

[KCBrewerfan34]

6 for $120 and include an out (if Fielder wants it) has to put us right in this. I can't believe someone will go $25 nillion per for 7 to 8 years. I think Boras is up to his tricks myself.

 

Mixed emotions to bring him back at $20 million per. We could probaly get Ramirez and a decnt SS for that and probably still be able to find a middle reliver or 2.

 

 

GO BREW

[PrinceFielderx1]

I'd go 7/161 (23 million a year with 5 million deferred annually (comes to 18 million a year)), 25 million 8th year mutual option W/ 10 million buyout, with an opt out after 3 years. Total guaranteed comes to $171 million, and potentially $186 million. A few points,

 

1.) Fielder will be 34 years old by the last year of the contract. He's currently 27.

 

2.) I don't see any team giving him 8 years guaranteed. I can see a team offering 25 million for 7 years (175 million) guaranteed. Which is more money than the Brewers, but at least the Brewers offer would be competitive, and they would be putting Fielder in a position where he would have to choose to stay in Milwaukee, where he would be apart of one of the best hitting combos (Braun, Fielder) in Baseball history, a team that can provide him protection in the line-up (Weeks), a contending team that just won the division, excellent fan base, or choose an extra 5-15 million dollars and play for a new team.

 

3.) The Brewers are going to find out (perhaps they already are) that they will likely be outbid when it comes to players like Reyes, Pujols, Rollins etc.. Which will imo force them to go hard after Fielder and increase their offer to him. They will also know that the Brewers offense will be down graded without Fielder and that Braun won't have the same protection behind him. For these reasons the Brewers have to still be interested in Fielder, and I think what we have seen is the Brewers just being smart by exploring other alternatives first, because Fielder is a long term risk due to his weight and the money he will demand, but regardless it will likely lead back to Fielder, in my opinion.

 

4.) If Fielder chooses to play for a new team, then I can see the Brewers just plugging holes with players like Alex Gonzales at SS and Ramirez at 3B and McGehee/Gamel 1B. The Brewers probably have fall back options, but regardless their offense will take a significant hit, because they are minus a premium player.