Prince Fielder signs with...

[jmeks23]

Agreed, Nats is best because of the pick (#16) and the Rangers are the best because of how awesome the Rangers offense will be. Plus they're in the AL West so I don't feel guilty.

[jjfanec]

Agreed, Nats is best because of the pick (#16) and the Rangers are the best because of how awesome the Rangers offense will be. Plus they're in the AL West so I don't feel guilty.

With the teams that are rumored right now it looks really good for the Brewers. A first round pick for Prince and a sandwich pick would all us to gamble a little more on a high upside guy or two and still take a safer pick too.

[FoxyFoxes]

Tigers? Victor Martinez out for season perhaps............to be continued?

[chuckiehacks]

I imagine the Yankees are probably thrust right into the mix amidst Posada's retirement and the trade for Pineda.

 

 

Why, hello there "mystery team."

[TooLiveBrew]

Much like Johnny Damon, 'Prince has always wanted to play in Detroit'

[madtowndrunkard]

Texas is saying that Prince is not going to happen, now that they've signed Darvish.

 

So it's now between Washington, Seattle, and Baltimore.

[Invader3K]

I thought Seattle claimed they only have a couple million left to spend for next season? I haven't heard anything about the Orioles going after him in quite a while either. I would think Washington and Detroit are the only two real options at this juncture.

[monty57]

The Orioles were on the list of "potential suitors" yesterday on MLB TV. Prince was also apparently seen in Arlington recently, but that may have been before Yu was signed. They were also saying that Detroit and the Yankees were more likely to go for a cheaper option like Pena or Damon.

 

Just my opinion, but I think the price tag will come down just enough for Washington to "get back in" and sign him.

[KCBrewerfan34]

I would love to know what that clown Boras is still demanding? 2/18 camps open correct, how long will this deal go on?

[TooLiveBrew]

As Prince so eagerly reminded everyone, Boras works for him. The demand is coming from Fielder. Things will probably move quickly since Darvish has signed.

[nate82]

The Orioles are definitely not going to sign Fielder unless they give Fielder a rather large contract the same with Seattle. I believe Fielder wants to play for a team that has a chance to compete so that leaves out Baltimore and Seattle unless they give him a contract that is as good or better than the one Pujols got and I don't believe the Orioles or the Mariners will do that. I still believe Prince signs with the Nationals on a 7-year deal where he can opt out after the 3rd year. If the Dodgers sale was further along I would believe they would be a more serious contender for Prince.

The only other team that I think could come in and sneak in and steal Prince would be Toronto but I don't think they are all that serious in signing Prince.

[madtowndrunkard]

Why aren't the Giants and SD in the mix? Two teams that all they really need is offense. Yet neither is interested in spending the $.

 

I think it's great seeing Boras choke with one of his biggest clients.

 

I agree, I think the Nationals will get him...and really they make the most sense. With Prince in their lineup they are a contender...with out Prince they are not. But if Prince accepts a shorter deal with an opt out clause, then why isn't he re signing with the Brewers? With Prince the Brewers would be a top 3 team in the NL.... no doubt about it.

[nate82]

Why aren't the Giants and SD in the mix? Two teams that all they really need is offense. Yet neither is interested in spending the $.

 

I think it's great seeing Boras choke with one of his biggest clients.

 

I agree, I think the Nationals will get him...and really they make the most sense. With Prince in their lineup they are a contender...with out Prince they are not. But if Prince accepts a shorter deal with an opt out clause, then why isn't he re signing with the Brewers? With Prince the Brewers would be a top 3 team in the NL.... no doubt about it.

First the Giants have to make a decision on keeping Cain or Lincecum or both. That leaves very little left over to sign a player like Prince. Now for the Padres they don't really have the cash as they would have to offer Prince a deal similar or better than what Pujols got. Again it is about winning and the stats for Prince going to the Padres doesn't help him out at all and to some extent the Giants also.

Secondly Boras really isn't choking at all. The market is rather dry for big time free agents as neither Boston, both New York teams, both Chicago teams, and the Dodgers are not spending this off season for different reasons. If Boston, or one of the New York teams had room for Prince he would actually have been signed already and if the ownership situation with the Dodgers would have been resolved before the off season Prince would be a Dodger already especially after the Angels got Pujols.

Finally Prince is not going to accept a shorter deal. He is going to get a deal at a minimum that will be 5-years but I am going to bet on him getting a 6 or 7 year deal with an opt out clause after year 3 which has been a popular thing with a lot of the big named free agents (Sabathia, Rodriguez, etc.).

[thumperden]

"Finally Prince is not going to accept a shorter deal. He is going to get a deal at a minimum that will be 5-years but I am going to bet on him getting a 6 or 7 year deal with an opt out clause after year 3 which has been a popular thing with a lot of the big named free agents (Sabathia, Rodriguez, etc.). "

If that's the case, doesn't Milwaukee seem like it could be in contention somehow? It seems to me that the market is coming back to Milwaukee, unless Detroit and/or New York somehow get in the bidding process.

[Raw Biz]

"Finally Prince is not going to accept a shorter deal. He is going to get a deal at a minimum that will be 5-years but I am going to bet on him getting a 6 or 7 year deal with an opt out clause after year 3 which has been a popular thing with a lot of the big named free agents (Sabathia, Rodriguez, etc.). "

If that's the case, doesn't Milwaukee seem like it could be in contention somehow? It seems to me that the market is coming back to Milwaukee, unless Detroit and/or New York somehow get in the bidding process.

NO! They can't afford to give Prince $20+ million for even this year, let alone 5. People really need to accept this. Even IF Hart, Wolf, and KRod were traded, that would only help this year and part of next year.

 

edit: Haudricourt says the same thing:

“We’re way over what we projected our budget to be at this point,” said Melvin. “It’s over $100 million. We hoped to be in the low 90s.” Which is why I've been trying to convince skeptics that the Brewers wouldn't have the money to re-sign Fielder, even if he was amenable to it, which he and agent Scott Boras are not.

[TooLiveBrew]

People really need to accept this.

 

I wish that would happen. I don't think it will until he actually signs his contract elsewhere, though.

[PrinceFielderx1]

People really need to accept this.

 

I wish that would happen. I don't think it will until he actually signs his contract elsewhere, though.

It won't happen, because there is always the possibility that "if" his asking price comes down, the Brewers could renew their offer of 5 maybe 6 years, and get creative (Melvins own words) and make room for Fielder. Unless the Brewers upper management comes out and says 100% without a doubt that they wont be re-signing Fielder we have to accept that there is a possibility that they could re-sign him. Do we even know if the Brewers pulled back their offer of 5 years 100-110 million? So far, I haven't heard them say that. We don't know the books, projected revenue, new TV contract details etc..

 

I think that it's likely he signs elsewhere because there is no reports that his asking price has dropped, but I guess we will see.

[Raw Biz]

People really need to accept this.

 

I wish that would happen. I don't think it will until he actually signs his contract elsewhere, though.

It won't happen, because there is always the possibility that "if" his asking price comes down, the Brewers could renew their offer of 5 maybe 6 years, and get creative (Melvins own words) and make room for Fielder. Unless the Brewers upper management comes out and says 100% without a doubt that they wont be re-signing Fielder we have to accept that there is a possibility that they could re-sign him. Do we even know if the Brewers pulled back their offer of 5 years 100-110 million? So far, I haven't heard them say that. We don't know the books, projected revenue, new TV contract details etc..

 

I think that it's likely he signs elsewhere because there is no reports that his asking price has dropped, but I guess we will see.

I'm pretty sure Melvin has said that they won't be signing Prince. Their offer to him went out before KRod, Gonzalez, and ARam were locked up. We don't need to know the books, revenue, etc. to know that a team in Milwaukee cannot sustain a $120 million payroll.

[PrinceFielderx1]

People really need to accept this.

 

I wish that would happen. I don't think it will until he actually signs his contract elsewhere, though.

It won't happen, because there is always the possibility that "if" his asking price comes down, the Brewers could renew their offer of 5 maybe 6 years, and get creative (Melvins own words) and make room for Fielder. Unless the Brewers upper management comes out and says 100% without a doubt that they wont be re-signing Fielder we have to accept that there is a possibility that they could re-sign him. Do we even know if the Brewers pulled back their offer of 5 years 100-110 million? So far, I haven't heard them say that. We don't know the books, projected revenue, new TV contract details etc..

 

I think that it's likely he signs elsewhere because there is no reports that his asking price has dropped, but I guess we will see.

I'm pretty sure Melvin has said that they won't be signing Prince. Their offer to him went out before KRod, Gonzalez, and ARam were locked up. We don't need to know the books, revenue, etc. to know that a team in Milwaukee cannot sustain a $120 million payroll.

Who said their payroll has to be 120 million? They could always shed some salary. Also if Doug Melvin has said that they won't be resigning Fielder, then please provide a link. I know that Doug Melvin is really good at making people believe he is saying one thing, but actually not really saying anything at all.

[Invader3K]

If we signed Fielder, but had to trade Wolf, K-Rod, and Hart, isn't it a net loss for this season?

Also, to answer the question above, here is a quote from Melvin in a Tom Haudricourt story from yesterday:

Asked what would happen if Boras called and offered to take a one-year deal at this stage, Melvin said, "I don't think we could."

[monty57]

nate82: I believe Fielder wants to play for a team that has a chance to compete...Again it is about winning and the stats for Prince

 

Is this something Fielder has stated, or are is that your personal belief? I haven't followed this that closely, but I don't remember Prince ever saying that the most important thing was going to a contender, or even that putting up the best stats was important. I've pretty much heard that he wanted to get the most money he can over a long-term contract and he wanted to continue to play 1B. If going to a contender and putting up big stats are the most important things, then he should lower his monetary demands and sign with the Yankees ASAP. They need a DH, they win, and in that stadium he could hit 60 HR a year.

 

Personally, I believe that if Baltimore or Seattle offered him 10 years / $200+M today, he'd be an Oriole/Mariner no later than tomorrow. That said, I believe that after the trade, the Mariners are out of the running, and I only saw the Orioles name on a list on MLB TV. I have no idea if they're serious contenders for Prince's services.

 

Secondly Boras really isn't choking at all. The market is rather dry for big time free agents as neither Boston, both New York teams, both Chicago teams, and the Dodgers are not spending this off season for different reasons. If Boston, or one of the New York teams had room for Prince he would actually have been signed already and if the ownership situation with the Dodgers would have been resolved before the off season Prince would be a Dodger already especially after the Angels got Pujols.

 

Boras is paid very well to act in his clients' best interest. Part of his job is knowing the market in which he acts. Therefore, Boras should have known that the 1B market was going to be tough this year long before it got to this point. With this in mind, acting in his client's best interest could very well have been to either accept the Brewers' offer, or to have worked out a deal with the Brewers a year or two ago which would have bought out one year of free agency, giving Prince some insurance through the contract and putting him back on the market in presumably a better market next year. Instead, he instructed Prince to decline all offers and go year-to-year until free agency. He made the bed, and he's now laying in it.

[burnzy24]

If Prince signs for well below his asking price in years or money, then Boras will have choked. Especially considering what an older Albert Pujols got from the Angels. Boras should have known that the market wouldn't have been great but I think what really hurt him was the Dodger's financial problems and the Cubs complete rebuild and because of this he clearly misread the market and didn't do his job. I really think that Boras and Fielder both thought he would go to the Cubs.

 

Either way, this has been a bad off-season for Boras. Between the Phillies choosing Palpebon over Madsen and then Madsen having to take a one year deal at a reduced rate, allowing K-Rod to become a set-up man to Axford rather than find him a closing job, and several of his big clients are still unsigned in late January. I also read recently that Edwin Jackson's price has gone down so Boras' clients aren't controlling the market like they have in previous years.

[adambr2]

The Orioles are definitely not going to sign Fielder unless they give Fielder a rather large contract the same with Seattle. I believe Fielder wants to play for a team that has a chance to compete so that leaves out Baltimore and Seattle unless they give him a contract that is as good or better than the one Pujols got and I don't believe the Orioles or the Mariners will do that. I still believe Prince signs with the Nationals on a 7-year deal where he can opt out after the 3rd year. If the Dodgers sale was further along I would believe they would be a more serious contender for Prince.

The only other team that I think could come in and sneak in and steal Prince would be Toronto but I don't think they are all that serious in signing Prince.

What evidence has Prince ever given that he feels this way?

I'm sure that most FA's would rather play for a winner, but players hire Boras to get top dollar, not to find them a contender to sign with.

Plus a lot can change in the balance of MLB over the span of a multi-year deal.

[Invader3K]

Well, let's face it. Prince could sign with a Baltimore or Seattle, and even though those clubs probably won't be serious competitors in the next year or two, they probably would be at some point over the course of a 7-10 year deal. I'm sure that is part of a player's thought process. Prince is still pretty young, so it's not like he only has the next couple seasons to win a ring before his window of opportunity is closed.

[brwrsfan]

Yes, Melvin said "I don't think we could"...but that's not the same as saying "No, absolutely not". If it actually happened, I think we'd have to consider it. We have parts that could be moved to clear some money if we wanted as well. It's extremely unlikely but it's not impossible. And I think Melvin/Mark would think long and hard about it if they had any shot at it.