Prince Fielder signs with...

[KCBrewerfan34]

if Prince is looking at 5-6 year I'm not sure why Boras steered Prince away from Milwaukee???

 

Of course that idiot Boras was claiming Prince would get Pujols money.

 

I think Boras is losing more and more credibility every free agent season with his BS (didn't he invent the "mystery team")

[brettac1]

Or maybe Prince didn't want to play in Milwaukee.

[jjfanec]

if Prince is looking at 5-6 year I'm not sure why Boras steered Prince away from Milwaukee???

 

Of course that idiot Boras was claiming Prince would get Pujols money.

 

I think Boras is losing more and more credibility every free agent season with his BS (didn't he invent the "mystery team")

Has it been stated he is only looking for a 5-6 year deal? I was expecting a 6-8 year deal, with 6 being only if a team went really high on the yearly payout. We were never in this thing. We had much more a chance with CC than we did with Prince

[PilprinBuddha]

WIth Pujols getting 10...I can't imagine Prince getting less than 8. However, I would only give him 8 or more if I was an American League team.

[liveforoctober]

I've been saying Baltimore all along, and I'm sticking with it

Yeah, if they swoop in with an 8-10 year offer at the right money, he'll be an Oriole for sure. Wouldn't put it past them at all. I think he'll sign with a team no one seems to be mentioning as a top contender for his services. Not sure if that'll be the Orioles or not though.

I have been saying Baltimore for some time now too ... and I know Scott Boras' clients only have one factor in how they approach free agency, but I think JJ Hardy is going to have a hand in how this plays out.

[ilovebeer]

Texas

[sheetskout]

I am also sticking with my initial choice: The Seattle Mariners.

 

Something weird is going on over there. Half of their people say they have no money, the other half say they have a ton.

[craigharmann]

I keep coming back to 2 teams. Either Seattle or Toronto. There's an outside chance for Baltimore, but I'd lean more toward him going to Toronto. I don't discount the fact that he wants to obliterate everything his dad has done in MLB. He's said it in the past, why wouldn't you want to go to one of the places daddy has played.

[StearnsFTW]

I'll be pretty surprised if it's not Seattle. Perfect fit IMO. I'm pretty sure the cubs will get rizzo.

[PrinceEatMeat]

The Cubs involvement in this was mainly created by the media. Even Sveum alluded to that the other day. They can't offer the length of deal Boras and Fielder want. They were never really in the race. Rizzo makes a heck of a lot more sense for them in the situation they are in.

[Eye Black]

I started this off-season with a gut feeling Prince was going to end up in Los Angeles, well Orange County with the Angels. Since that was blown out of the water with the Pujols signing, I now believe Seattle will put together the best offer for Prince. Unlike Pujols who turned down a more lucrative offer from the Marlins before signing with the Angels, I have a feeling Fielder will take the absolute maximum $$$ offer put on the table. I could see him turning down a 7-yr/$165 offer from a team like the Rangers to instead sign a 7-yr/$175 offer with a team like the Mariners or Orioles. I think his desire to get paid maximum dollar amount probably outweighs his need to be with a seemingly better team/organization.

 

There is obviously nothing wrong with taking the highest offer since it is the purpose of Free Agency, there just seems to be something refreshing when a guy takes more into consideration than strictly money. As long as he goes to an A.L. team, I will enjoy watching him play for years to come.

[narwhalattack]

I'm a little bit skeptical about the Mariners. For one thing, Fielder wouldn't be the only missing piece in the puzzle. They still have other holes to fill. Sure they have a top-notch rotation, but their lineup in general is terrible and they're gonna need more than one offensive catalyst.

[BritInWI]

What I don't get through all of this is why the Marlins haven't been mentioned in the Fielder sweepstakes since they lost out on Pujols...?

 

I understand that he's not the defensive player that Pujols is, isn't quite the bat the Pujols is, that there are concerns over his weight etc, but he is a "local" product and a big run producer - that should be a big draw. If the Marlins were prepared to offer a 10 year $200M+ deal to Pujols, surely Fielder is worth at least a 7 year $150M+ offer to them? What they really want it to fill those seats in the new stadium, right?

 

Help me out - what am I missing here?

[Baldkin]

Fielder won't take a contract without a no-trade clause, and also, he's not Latino.

[BritInWI]

I've been saying Baltimore all along, and I'm sticking with it

When I first started visiting this country, the first games that I saw were in Baltimore. I went to a few games at Memorial Stadium and saw some amazing play by a great Orioles team that included Ripken Jr, Murray, Bumbry, Lowenstein, Dwyer, Singleton, Dempsey, Boddicker, Flanagan, Palmer, McGregor etc, etc, etc... Even though I've been living here for years now, I still have a soft spot for the Orioles and if Prince moves (and he will), I'd love to see him end up in Baltimore. I just don't see it happening if he's serious about wanting to play for a contender.

[Raw Biz]

I've been saying Baltimore all along, and I'm sticking with it

I'd love to see him end up in Baltimore. I just don't see it happening if he's serious about wanting to play for a contender.

Money/years is the most important factor to Prince. I think he will sign with whoever gives him the best deal. I said Baltimore at the beginning of the season but I would put Texas and Washington up there as well.

[brettac1]

Yeah, I don't think he really cares as long as he gets paid. That's why you hire Scott Boras and his stainless steel 73 page binder.

[fondybrewfan]

All else remaining equal I would assume Prince would want to go to the most hitter friendly park possible. I am sure wants to be in the record books. So if Seattle wants him I believe they are going to have to pay more and perhaps substantially more. For that reason Texas seems to make sense to me; he could put up some crazy numbers at that park and with that lineup. He could also put up some monster numbers at Wrigley.

[bucksman4]

All else remaining equal I would assume Prince would want to go to the most hitter friendly park possible. I am sure wants to be in the record books. So if Seattle wants him I believe they are going to have to pay more and perhaps substantially more. For that reason Texas seems to make sense to me; he could put up some crazy numbers at that park and with that lineup. He could also put up some monster numbers at Wrigley.

The one thing that makes me believe he will not sign with Chicago is having to play games in the cold weather for the first month or month and a half of the season. Also, the day game factor can't be underestimated as a reason to not sign there. I can't see him being happy leaving the state of the art facilities in the Miller Park clubhouse for a woodshed-like locker room that the Cubs call home. Not to mention he will get boo'd out of his mind every time he steps up to the plate when playing in Milwaukee.

[Glennron]

I'm a little bit skeptical about the Mariners. For one thing, Fielder wouldn't be the only missing piece in the puzzle. They still have other holes to fill. Sure they have a top-notch rotation, but their lineup in general is terrible and they're gonna need more than one offensive catalyst.

This is exactly why I don't think it'll be Seattle either. It would be the most obvious money grab since A-Rod in Texas if he decides to go there.

 

Not sure how important this is to him, but I've seen it mentioned a number of times (by Rosenthal maybe?) how Seattle is the furthest MLB city from his hometown of Orlando which could be a deterrent for him. Then again, it's not like Chicago, Baltimore, Arlington, Toronto etc. are close.

[DHonks]

When SafeCo was built, they talked about RF being built as friendly for Griffey...perhaps that might attract Prince.

[PrinceEatMeat]

I honestly this the Rangers getting Darvish increases the odds that they go after Fielder. Might as well go all-in to match the Angels. Darvish/Fielder vs. Wilson/Pujols.

[jjkoestler]

I just don't see how the Rangers can pay them both, but I thought the same thing about the Angels.

 

Darvish Contract: 5/$75m + $51.7m posting fee

Prince: 8/$200m

$326.7m is a lot of cash for 2 players.

[chuckiehacks]

I wrote:

---

 

I'll say Texas, unless they get Darvish, in which case I think it will be Seattle.

I'll stick with Seattle. They've got Pineda, Felix to start a nice pitching core. Ackley looks to be the real deal. They could make Prince the face of the franchise, like they did with Griffey, fans would love it. If Jack Z could draft some fast-rising offense (which he's done before), they might be ok.

 

[jerichoholicninja]

With Darvish probably going to Texas it's got to be down to Toronto and Seattle.