Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said yesterday on MLB Network Radio that there's every reason to expect Adam LaRoche to play first base in Washington next year. "We've more or less decided that Adam is going to be our first baseman unless something extraordinary, out of the ordinary happened," Rizzo said. However, reports continue to link the Nationals to free agent first baseman Prince Fielder. Here's the latest on Fielder with the most recent updates up top:
- A Nationals player told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the club is on on Fielder. "We're in the market. We're still shooting for him," the player said. It's possible the player knows something Rizzo isn't saying publicly, but it's just as possible that the player spoke out of turn about a topic he hasn't been fully briefed on. We can be reasonably sure of one thing — that the unnamed player wasn't LaRoche himself.
Jon Heyman quotes an unnamed player on a team that Scott Boras would love to get involved in the Prince Fielder sweepstakes. How unusual… /sarcasm.
It looks like Prince Fielder may price himself into a one-year deal and take another crack at free agency next season. I don’t think anyone expected the market to dry up on this guy the way it has, nor did anyone think his contract demands in the early going would be as ridiculous as they were.
I haven’t really seen any proof that the market has dried up on him. It’s pretty normal for free agents to wait this long to sign. Especially Boras clients.
Except there aren’t many teams that are capable of signing him to a fat deal. All the big spenders have first base covered or have spent their wad already.
The market hasn’t really dried up. There’s plenty of teams interested, just none at his price of a 10 year 200+ million dollar contract.
If he wanted to take 5-8 years, he’d be on a team right now.
Many of the big free agent signings in the past have come in January, and Feb.
Yes they do.
I think somebody (Washington) will get trigger happy.
I’d have to believe that there is plenty of market for Prince. But what the clubs want to pay and for how long is vastly different than what Prince/Boras are asking. At least, that’s how I interpret things.
If Fielder is demanding a Pujols-type contract, he may be sadly disappointed. He may be in the slightly overpaid Ryan Howard territory; but, he doesn’t bring the Pujols tools(can play 3rd) to the table. And, with Boros as his agent, he may price himself out of a lot of good offers. Best Bet: 7 years with AL team – Rangers?
I think you’re right on with the Ryan Howard territory. 6 yrs 150 million with an option for a 7th. Has to be an AL team because while Fielder fields the ball not-horribly now, it doesn’t look too good 4 or 5 years down the line. Looks like Mariners, Jays or Rangers with Texas looking like the best combo of money & winning, if they ever quit playing coy about everything.
He doesn’t bring the marketing that Pujols does….is he worthy of a contract bigger then Tiex ? I dont’ think so….Tiex is a WAY better defender and a switch hitter and is IN shape not a shape…
Tex doesn’t put up the same type of offensive numbers though and he’s got the advantage of playing in Yankees Stadium.
Re: Teix vs. Fielder – What wouldn’t you give to see Fielder have to shave & cut his hair for the Yankees? Remember when Donnie Baseball had to trim his locks? And, how well do you think those infantile stuffed animal poses would go over in the South Bronx? ;-)
I like Texiera better I’m just saying offense is easier to sell.
I don’t believe that most 1B’s in the offensive realm of Pujols and Fielder are being paid for their work with the glove.
I understand their not being paid for being block walls and vacuums at 1B but Moreno has a marketing plan for Pujols that wouldn’t fit for Prince. and Teix does earn points w/ his glove that Fielder wouldn’t…Teix also had more teams bidding on him during his FA off season where as now all the big $$ teams have their locked up 1B’s….No way does he get 10 yrs and no way does he pull more then 8/$180m….Teix is also older then Prince and in better shape at the older age….I’m really going to laugh when he’s 31 and 400#’s
btw Scott Shu=Shu13 for whatever reason I can’t sign on under the Shu13 name while on my laptop(just recently)
Oh, I totally agree. If there’s an NL team out there willing to go beyond 3 years…I’d call that pushing it a bit. Fielder’s saving grace would be to go AL where he can move to DH. If his bat slows up a bit he’s going to be in trouble.
I didn’t mean to understate the importance of defensive skills in a 1B….but I just don’t think that’s why they are pursued in most cases. It’s always a plus, but even Teixeira would be valuable if he wasn’t quite an attractive glove man.
If he wants a contender, why not just re-sign with Milwaukee on a shorter deal and hit free agency again in a few years. It’s obvious he wants a longterm deal…I’m guessing even he knows the gamble he would be taking with 3 added years on his frame.
Unless the Nats are able to trade LaRoche (which is unlikely), does anyone really think they will pay him that money to be a bench player?
Yes.
I can see them doing anything after that Werth deal.
I would think they would be less inclined to spend that big again after the disappointing season Werth put up last year.
If at first you don’t succeed…
…Try the outfield
Correct. I think its why we haven’t made any big signing
Haha never count us out we’re the crazy son’s of bi*ches you never know what’ll do next! haha
If they could land Fielder I think they would. I think they’d probably trade him though, eating most of his salary in the process.
I agree that they’d have to eat most of his salary, but I can’t think of many takers due to LaRoche coming back from surgery.
There could be takers if the price is right on him. For $2-$3 million he might be worth a flier for someone.
They could release him. In 2009 the Phillies ate some significant contracts like Adam Eaton, Geoff Jenkins, etc.
How much is he making? I think its something like 8 million. That’s a lot for a bench guy, but Davey has said he wanted a better bench with more power guys so who knows. If they did sign Fielder I’d expect LaRoche to play lots in ST then Russia would try and flip him.
He’s owed a minimum of 9M. 8M in salary for 2012 + 1M option buyout.
Vernon Wells says hi. Excessively paid bench player (when Trout takes his role) there.
“does anyone really think they will pay him that money to be a bench player?”
Mariners did it for Figgins…. so yes.
He’d be an expensive bench bat, but if the Nats drop big bucks on Prince, kick in a few more and pay half of LaRoche’s salary and trade him somewhere for a AA reliever.
This just might be a case of homer-intuition, but i think Boras is waiting for the Dodgers’ auction situation to develop more. I know the team isn’t expected to change hands until April, but that doesn’t that the main players won’t be identified before then, which might give an indication of new ownerships’ likelihood of spending
I doubt he’s waiting for that–even if the new Dodger ownership is known within the next month, it will still be awhile before the situation is stabilized enough for the new owners to take on big new commitments. He may be waiting to see if Texas does sign Darvish (if not they could be in on Fielder) and who signs Cespedes (those who bid and fall short could be in on Fielder).
how about a real low ($$) contract the first season to go to LA, and then make it up in the next few years, like Pujols just did with the Angels
i think you hit it right on the nose….
Hmmm, “anonymous” Nats player? I wonder who THAT could be?
Does Boras have any other clients who play for the Nats?
Nevermind.
Oh I’m sure the player knows more than the GM.
i don’t think fielder goes to the nats unless it’s a better deal than is being bandied about. 1B isn’t necessarily a need (and it’s not just laroche, they want to move morse back there in 2013 and have werth/harper on the corners with a new CF in 13). if they brought in fielder, they’d have to move both laroche this season and morse by next. and they’d limit themselves to where zimmerman can end up in 5-6 years (presuming extension), what position rendon could end up playing, where werth could end up in 5 years, etc. signing fielder to a big/long contract limits a lot of future flexibility. i’d prefer to see them take a chance on cespedes.
Prince is the new Gates Brown
I loved Gates Brown. In 1968, he was probably the best pinch hitter baseball ever saw, and that was in the “Year Of The Pitcher”. He hit.370/.442/.685 in 91 at-bats, pretty much all as a PH.
And yes, Brown looked just like Prince Fielder.
MONEY
Fielder will end up with the Mariners, for real!! They have money and a GM who is building the best staff in the Majors. From 1-5 they are going to be deep after this season. With the hitters in the minors almost ready and Prince, they will be tough, even for the Pujols Angels. The Rangers are done spending, plus there lineup is already stacked, the Nationals have Laroche and dont want to get burned by another over the top contract(Jason Werth), Cubs are in total fire sale, Dodgers dont have an owner. That leaves Seattle and their money. GM Jack Z is just playing the waiting game on Boras while watching all the other suitors drop out.
Keith Law is a Joke!!! He thinks the Cardinals are terrible. They have been to 3 World Series in the last 8 years. LOL. Houston would be the perfect landing spot.
Word is that Fielder wants to sign with the Dodgers and is delaying his decision until mid January when new ownership is announced.
M.M.
The anonymous Nats’ player is either JWerth or RZim—-just sayin’.
Who cares what a player says? Rizzo has already said multiple times that LaRoche is the 1B next year.. however, I hope he was lying considering what looks more and more to be just a few suitors for Fielder could make the price better then what was expected going into the off-season
Plus, with Fielder, the Nationals could be competing for the Division.
I like Fielder going to the Dodgers or Nats.
As a Dodger fan, I like Fielder going to LA, but not for more than 6 years being a NL team, and most certainly not for Teix money. He’s a power hitter and for his size a decent 1B. That’s not 5 tools.
Not that the Dodgers are really a team right now anyway.
I think Texas has the best chance of landing him unless Seattle comes from the shadows. Both are wooing Yu, so everybody will have to wait until somebody fires.