At just 27 years of age, Prince Fielder owns 230 career home runs and three consecutive seasons of an OBP north of .400. He hasn't played in fewer than 157 games in a full season, despite his hulking frame. All of that will contribute to what's likely to be plenty of Prince Fielder rumors at this week's Winter Meetings. Let's run down today's:
- There is some growing optimism that Fielder could remain with the Brewers, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Knobler cites the slowly developing market for Fielder and the aggressiveness of owner Mark Attanasio as the reasons, noting that Attanasio seems to be indicating he wants to make a real effort to re-sign Prince.
- Fielder is not a target for the Nationals, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter). The Nats already have Adam LaRoche and Michael Morse at first base.
- The Blue Jays have plenty of spending money and appear to be in the mix for Fielder, writes SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter).
- Heyman also tweets that he's received some conflicting reports on the Mariners' involvement in Fielder. Two executives say they "badly want" Fielder, while two Mariners sources say they have little money to spend.
Blue Jays that may make the AL east interesting him and bautista back to back would be devestating
No kidding. Imagine Bautista with that kind of protection (or vice versa)…
Best 3/4 in the league… and if they signed Ortiz… WOW.
Imagine how much better Jeff Mathis would be protected by Fielder.
Good idea! Fielder could be the leadoff hitter.
I love the concept of having Prince lead off! Only thing is, he’ll have to officially change his moniker from “Lumbering Lumber” to “Twinkle Toes”. Otherwise, it’s good to go.
Marty? Bowl o’ shoup?
if they sign fielder they instantly don’t go after ortiz.
Adding Fielder would be a big move for them, and definitely a step in the right direction. They still have holes at 2B, closer, and SP though.
I wonder if there’s a matchup there with the Cubs for a big trade, something like this:
Lind, Cecil, Teahen and a top prospect (Anthony Gose?) for Garza, Marmol and $5 million
Jays can slot Marmol in at closer, Garza in behind Romero, and use that $5 million to pay a FA DH (maybe a Vlad reunion if they decide Ortiz is too pricey). Cubs can put Lind at 1st and Teahen at 3rd with Cecil filling Garza’s spot.
If they sign Fielder and resign KJ, that’s a sick lineup.
Escobar
Rasmus
Fielder
Bautista
Ortiz?
Lawrie
Johnson
JPA
Snider/Thames
Garza is going to cost a lot more than that. Your giving the cubs our garbage and a good prospect. Garza would cost Gose, Hutchinson, Sanchez and Jiminez or something along those lines, maybe not as much, but the Cubs gave a lot for him, and we expect a ton back
“Your trade is stupid! While we’re on it, here’s another stupid one!”
Explain to me why my trsde is the Cubs gave up a prospect catcher (even though he was older), a better pitching prospect than Hutchinson in Archer, Hak Ju-Lee, Sam Fuld and Brandon Guyer.
Garza had probably the best year of his career last year, so his price has increased, thus the input of Sanchez in the trade
He wont get the cubs what they gave up for him, he has lost a year on his contract. I think its possible but not the amount your talking about. Gose? sure, and Huchinson too? ok, Sanchez? too much. All three have been great so far in their young carrers, with all having high ceilings. Then you throughin Jimmiez too, IMO too much.
sure, but it doesn’t really work that way. the cubs overpaid in the first place. the jays aren’t likely to
Probably both right, but again, its going to be prospects, not Lind Teahan and Cecil
Youre not far off the mark though.
Your dealing with Theo not the old Cubs.
As a Jays fan, I will take that trade in a heartbeat.
are you a double agent? gose is exciting, but the cubs are getting screwed hard there
I just took in he is a Cubs fan, he must not watch a lot of Jays games
Why remove Lind? He’s probably a much better option for DH considering Ortiz’s asking price. I think Cecil and Gose for Garza is enough, and Jays should take that Ortiz money and get a real closer, not someone who’s being questioned for consistency.
Wouldn’t 3B Encarnacion be a good trade bait?
You think Gose and Cecil is enough for Garza? The Cubs would laugh in your face
I don’t know about laugh, they would probably just ask for another pitching prospect.
Gose is a really exciting player and he’s most likely, with D’arnaud, the first player another team asks for.
forget Snider and Thames..as far as I’m concerned they are trade bait …id go after Jurrjens and Heyward
pass on JJ .
I think you should go talk to your Cubs and do that trade NOWWW
Not to be one of those “Garza is god” fans, but the only real pitcher the Cubs have is Garza so I’m thinking more of a Molina, Snydergaard, Gose, and maybe Snider for Garza, Marmol, Barney and cash. And by Cash I mean like Garza’s salary so they can get a DH.
No.
no chance… that’s ridiculous
Yep…I am also wondering if Jays & Cubs become trade partners. The players I see going on the table are similar to the ones you proposed.
After that trade, you better change your name to “204andCounting.”
According to Kevin Millar and the fantasy trade segment on MLB network they should trade Bautista and Snider for Garza, Zambrano and Colvin LOL.
I know that AA has said that he only wants to go the FA root after all other options have been exhausted, but if you are going to go all out for a free agent this year it really makes sense for the Jays to go for Prince.
not unless they’re getting a top starter as well
I see what you are saying that it would be a waste to spend all that money on Fielder without getting a pitcher but you are going to have 6 years or so with Fielder with plenty of opportunities to get one in the first year or 2 of the contract. Players like fielder only come on the market so often so I think you have to jump on the opportunity when it comes up.
It is a unique opportunity. It’s almost unheard of anymore to get a great hitter in FA at 28 years of age.
fielder’s a great hitter, but not an amazing overall talent. i don’t think he’s a franchise player
e.g. votto’s on the market in 2013 and can be acquired & extended in a trade earlier than that. next year’s starting pitching market is much better as well
i think you either have to get fielder and darvish/wilson/traded starter or pass on fielder and make your move next year
There has been some speculation that Votto will be extended so he’s not even a for sure to be on the market whereas Fielder is on the market right now. I don’t see why the Jays can’t sign Fielder this year, get some sort of bullpen and then go after a pitcher next year. I know there are some holes that need to be filled but I think this is just too good of an opportunity to pass up on, it could be a game changer.
reds can barely afford votto’s 2013 salary, let alone his free agent contract. on top of that they’re about to extend phillips. i think joey’s availability is close to certain
the jays definitely could sign fielder and put together the rest next offseason, but that seems a bit wasteful to me. they aren’t a big bat away from contention. if they are one piece away, that piece is a frontline starter
certainly it’d be fun to add fielder even if they didn’t contend, just not the wisest investment in my view
votto in 2 years will be starting his decline years. fielder is probably just entering his peak now.
Please explain, seeing as Votto just turned 28 and Fielder will turn 28 in May. What’s the logic of Votto beginning a decline while Prince, at the same age, is just entering his prime?
hmmm, thought the diff. was at least a year. with that said, votto will be signing age 30-3X seasons in 2014, and i think just getting fielder now would be better than waiting for 2014 when who knows what other big spenders will drive up the cost of votto’s contract, and the length
even if that were true, the fact that votto has more than one talent and a better shot at sustaining his physical performance evens things out (at worst)
if the jays acquire & extend him next year a la adrian gonzalez, that’s age 29-mid thirties of a player comparable to, well, adrian gonzalez. even in his prime, fielder is a DH playing first base
and again, if the jays only sign fielder and not a top starter, that’s a year of his prime wasted (and another year of bautista’s)
votto is better than fielder, sure. but there are too many ‘ifs’ in that equation.
IF they trade for him and
IF they sign an extension with him…
first: who will they trade? texas is doing quite well with the spoils of the original teix trade…fielder will cost pick #17 and money, and you get him NOW
second: he said he doesn’t want to sign an extension, so you can run the risk of giving up ALL THAT for him, and then having him cut town for the big bucks elsewhere in 2014…
right. i didn’t say trade for him and hope for an extension. i said trade for and extend him a la adrian gonzalez
the principle here is that an elite bat is not very important to the jays right now, unless they get a top starter
if they get a top starter, sure, get fielder. if they’re not getting that starter until next year, there’s no need to commit huge resources to a one-dimensional talent now when there will be at least one superior talent available later on, when that production will matter
votto says he isn’t goint to sign an extension. so that’s why it is an ‘if’
you don’t get to pick what order things happen in – and an elite bat is available now. darvish isn’t posting, and the meetings are now, and fielder might sign any time now. so…do it now.
You’re missing what he’s saying. An equation would be part of a trade.
What about fielder becoming the new DH? I thought he hasnt really shown any signs of decline, isnt he getting slimer and better?
only if you believe boras
great hitter, bad defender, bad baserunner
So, an expensive DH in 3-4 years. I can live with that.
He’s 5’11 and weighs 275 pounds. He couldn’t have gotten heavier.
5’11” is alright, 5’9″ is absourd
😉
I agree with you except that Votto will be 30 when he hit free agency whereas Fielder is 27 right now. I am guessing Votto will want pretty much the exact same contract as Fielder gets so that is stretching into Votto’s late 30’s at 20+ million a year where Fielder would be 34 or 35 when his contract is up. I can absolutely see the side of people arguing for the Jays to not sign him but it an opportunity that needs to be taken advantage of in my opinion.
don’t think with your maple boner, as they say.
Man, I would love it if the Jays were in on Prince.
But I just don’t believe it, unless someone really credible tells us otherwise.
AA has said for ages that he doesn’t expect to make a big FA splash, and that he wants to focus on trades. Beeston has repeatedly said that he doesn’t believe in contracts for players that are longer than 6 years.
Unless Beeston and AA are intentionally being misleading (Hey, I guess it is possible considering how secretive the Blue Jays are) then I just don’t think it’s realistic.
Would frreaking love it though.
I feel the same way. I think the latest source of this rumour was somebody with CBS Sports Cleveland (according to Bluebird Banter), and who knows how credible that is.
TSN too.
Edit: I hate TSN.
I don’t hate TSN all that much. But I really do fear and hate Canada’s National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Those babes are after our gonies.
it’s incarcerated bob
It’s moments like this that I wish Miguel Cabrera were 30 lbs. lighter.
Great now they are getting my hopes up for Fielder… Im going to choose to ignore these rumor’s by plugging my ears and humming loudly while i continuously read all these rumors for the next week -__-
Imposter. You don’t grow rice…
You’ve got this thing covered six ways to breakfast!
I possess neither the physical co-ordination, presence of mind, nor self-discipline to handle it your way. So I’m just going to go down the hall and take a great big dump for the next couple of days or so.
And guys, no need worry. I’m going to be ordering in Chinese.
i hope fielder goes to Mariners. Ever since i read an article with Ichiro talking about his depression playing for the M’s I’ve started pulling for the Mariners
Prince Fielder would be the perfect fit for the Jays.
AA couild then package Lind with prospects to go after a high-end starter.T-minus 5 minutes before Angry3/Slider32 troll this topic.
Lind has no value though, he has back to back seasons of very very bad stats and he just turned into a below average first basemen. No team would want a package centred around Lind right now for a high-end starter
No value? He has a nice contract and some irrational NL GM will love those RBI’s. He’s only two years removed from a .935 OPS season.
If a common folk like us can see how Rbi’s and homeruns dont mean crap, what makes you think NL GM’s with a team of scouts and professional help will think otherwise? Besides, most of the irrational GM’s already got fired – see Jim Hendry for the Cubs and Wade for Houston. This isn’t the 1990s anymore. Everyone knows now that Joe Carter has had some of the worst offensive seasons with over 100 rbi’s, Lind is in that category
Randy Wells is 2 years removed from a 3.05 ERA, 146 ERA+. That would have been second to Roy Halladay on the 2009 staff…
Your right, Fielder is your game changer, let’s see if AA pulls the trigger. The Jays are not going to have a chance to get a power hitter like this for years to come. Add a stud pitcher like Darvish and you could be in contention.
…and now back to your cave little buddy.
Isn’t it cute watching the horse chase the carrot?? We’ll increase payroll. We’re in position to spend money. But they haven’t. And they won’t. Buy low and pray hard. The Jays new motto….
Thanks misinformed troll , now run along with your buddy slider32!
Must have hit a nerve. Team’s had an $80+ mil payroll 3 times, $80 mil, $82 mil, $97 mil. Doesn’t draw any fans. They’re ready to open the checkbook…
Texas’ payroll was 93 last year, 55 the year before.. they seem to be doing alright..
They also had a good foundation of players to build around..
So not really following your point..
Jays should spend money on players just for the sake of it? So that trolls don’t criticize them for not spending?
This is def boras trying to get the mariners to add more money to their offer
Did Prince ever live in T.O. while Big Daddy was playing here? Maybe he has fond memories of the Mad Hatter or Canada’s Wonderland or Greg’s Ice Cream or something.
Everyone loves Marine Land.
I’m sure they have fond memories of McDonalds.
Maybe Prince just likes domes!
He did live in T.O
all I can say about Joey Bats and Prince together is remember when frank thomas and albert belle got together .. nothing good happened like expected .. if i were prince id have to think long and hard about going to Texas not an overly tough divison and a good team and management in place
If Prince goes to Texas they are the best team in baseball on paper.
I thought that was the Red Sox?
Prince played with Braun, Weeks and Hart in Millwauke. He would make the Rangers a more formidable bigger scoring club, but I don’t see a steamroller going on there.
I think it’s Boras working his magic he used the Jays as the stalking horse last year also. Big Market team that has a small payroll and has said publicly that it will spend millions more when it wants!
I think Scott Boras has done remarkably well considering that he is essentially a throwback from an earlier, simpler time.
Way back when, in early pre-historic times, scary, slimy, sh!tty smelling creatures used to slither on to dry land from muddy bogs and putrid swamps, and just sort of take over.
I can imagine Scott Boras’ first encounter with a dinosaur.
DINOSAUR: Geezus!! You smell like sh!t, man.
SCOTT BORAS: Do you have representation?
IT BEGINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!
Er, what? You know. Begins?
I wonder if the jays are willing to go and try for both darvish and fielder. They can afford both but are they willing to tie up such a large chunk of the budget to 2 players,
Fielder is a game changer for the team that gets him. It will be interesting to see if he goes to the Cubs, Jays, Nats, Mariners, Marlins, or Texas.
On tsn it says that he’s down to three teams Toronto Texas and milwaukee with Toronto being the front runner
A story TSN got from Bluebird Banter, who picked it up (and attributed it properly) to CBS Sports Cleveland. Not sure where they picked it up, but it is a pretty thin source for us to get too excited about just yet.
For some reason I have a feeling it comes down to the Blue Jays, Nationals and Brewers, and the Brewers only to a certain extent. There is always that mystery team, but those 3 are the ones that make most sense. A lot of people are saying the Rangers but their payroll is already at 75 million and that is without Napoli and all of their arbitration cases. Also Hamilton’s contract is up after next year and he will be getting a raise, so it just doesn’t make sense to me. The Mariners are also a team that has been mentioned but my gut feeling says they aren’t ready to commit to that kind of contract.
marlins, indians, angels, giants, dodgers, rockies…lots of teams might be in on him. who knows?
Ya I should have thrown the Angels in there too but I don’t think the other teams you mentioned are in it, I think the Marlins are going to run out of money at some point no?
Anyway, as I was lying in the puddle, I think I may have found
a way for us to get Bonds and Griffey, and we wouldn’t have to give up
that much.
Prince to Jays please. Pay that man his money.
Thanks.
lol…pay him…pay dat man his monee
Geoff Baker just tweeted Blue Jays are making it known in Dallas that they are not after Fielder. Now that is either true or like normal Baker has no idea what he is talking about or this was a scheme on Boras’ part…
If fielder is willing to take 5 or 6 years, I’d do the deal… I’d keep Lind and hope he rebuilds some value as a DH/LF/1B, you’ll be able to get him 500 AB’s easy..
Garza is someone I’d hope they’d explore.. but I would wait into the season.. I’d wait until D’arnaud is ready, and I’d make JP Arencibia the center piece of the deal,
JPA, Cecil, Mcguire, Mcdade, Marisnick for Garza, Marmol & Junior Lake
I think ppl are kind forgetting the fact that signing prince costs a pick. And in BJ’s case its 17th pick, I think that is too much, particularlly for AA.
they have another 1st round pick on account of not signing their 1st round pick last year
LIke Lunchbox said, they have another pick. You also trade the 17th pick for Fielder any day, the pick won’t be an obstacle for a player like Prince.
And they’ll get yet another 2 high picks for Kelly Johnson, the modified type A
probably not a 1st rounder though
Fielder would be smart to stick with a 4-5 year deal instead of a 7-8 year deal.
If he gets the long contract he’s 35-36 at the end of it, and will have to go year to year after that..
Where as a 4-5 year deal he’s 31-32, if his decline is gradual, he’ll still have the performance to get another 5 year or so deal.
Its a risky, shrewd move, but he does have the agent for that doesn’t he?
Noooooooooo!!!! I was looking forward to the post-Prince years ahead for the Cards.
Prince Fielder should be a DH, that will help him get a long career.He isn’t the worst firstbase man, but he isn’t the good one, either.
again to funny you guys are killing me
The Jays if they are in won’t say a thing, it is not above them to say they are not on this and still be on it