Prince Fielder Rumors: Thursday
At least one MLB general manager believes Prince Fielder and agent Scott Boras are looking for a ten-year deal that approaches the value of Albert Pujols' $254MM contract, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman lists the Rangers as the favorite to sign Fielder, but suggests it's too early to rule out the Blue Jays, Mariners and Cubs, among others. Here are the latest rumors on Fielder:
- The Marlins are denying interest in Prince Fielder, but some rival execs aren't convinced, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- The Cubs are not major players for Fielder, as they are "not ready to spend big," tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- There are indications that the Cubs are ramping up their pursuit of Fielder, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. It's not clear where the Cubs stand with the first baseman now, but they're gathering information and may make a push for him soon.
- Here's a recap of yesterday's Fielder rumors.
Quick Hits: Dobbs, Indians, Zumaya, Mariners
MLB announced that baseball’s 30 owners unanimously approved the five-year collective bargaining agreement with the MLB Players Association today. Here are some other notes from around MLB…
- The Marlins remain in the mix to sign Greg Dobbs, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. The Nationals are also interested in the free agent utility player.
- The Mets remain in regular contact with free agent shortstop Jack Wilson, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- Though the Indians never made Josh Willingham a former proposal, they indicated that they were willing to offer a two-year deal in the $15MM range, according to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (Twitter links). Willingham has agreed to terms with the Twins, but GM Chris Antonetti says the Indians are still considering external options.
- A scout tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that just about every team in baseball saw free agent right-hander Joel Zumaya throw in Houston yesterday (Twitter link).
- Japanese shortstop Munenori Kawasaki is in Seattle and may sign a minor league deal with the Mariners in the relatively near future, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). The deal may not be finalized until after the holidays, but he will sign with Seattle, Stone reports.
Heyman On Fielder, Moreland, Kuroda
Agent Scott Boras hasn’t explicitly stated Prince Fielder’s asking price, but one GM with some interest in the free agent first baseman says he knows the target figure. "Isn't it obvious?," the GM asked Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, implying that Fielder will look to approach Albert Pujols’ $254MM deal. Here’s the latest on Fielder, plus other notes from Heyman:
- Though Rangers people have suggested they're focused on pitching and trades, Heyman says the team talked about deals involving Mitch Moreland. Barring an addition at first base, the Rangers will be relying on Moreland in 2012.
- The Blue Jays “are said to be thinking long and hard about Fielder.”
- There’s “no way” Adam Jones is going to Atlanta for Jair Jurrjens, an Orioles person says. The Braves and Orioles discussed a deal involving Jurrjens and Martin Prado, according to FOX Sports. It should be noted that FOX didn’t say Jones was available in trade talks with the Braves.
- The Yankees seem to like Hiroki Kuroda more than the other free agent pitchers, according to Heyman.
Prince Fielder Rumors: Wednesday
Approximately nine out of every ten MLBTR readers expect Prince Fielder to sign a deal in the five-to-eight year range, today's poll question revealed. But that doesn't answer the question of where the 27-year-old Scott Boras client will sign. Here's the latest on Fielder:
- Marlins president David Samson told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio that the Marlins never had interest in Fielder because he wasn’t a fit (Twitter link).
- Marlins and Red Sox officials confirmed to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that they don't plan to pursue Fielder. Morosi breaks down the market for Fielder, from legitimate suitors like the Cubs, Orioles and Mariners to long shots like the Yankees and Cardinals.
- Scott Miller of CBSSports reported today that Fielder seeks a ten-year deal (Twitter link).
How Many Years Will Prince Fielder Get?
One team tells Scott Miller of CBS Sports Prince Fielder is looking for a ten-year deal. As Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes, isn't Fielder entitled to an Albert Pujols-like contract, as a 27-year-old coming off a monster season?
The problem is the marketplace, however, writes Morosi. The teams with the biggest payrolls don't appear to be fits for Fielder. Over 38,000 MLBTR readers responded to our poll last week about Fielder's destination. While the Cubs led with 24% of the vote, they almost seem to be the default pick for Fielder since there is no obvious favorite.
I doubt the Cubs would do an eight, nine, or ten-year deal for Fielder. I'm having trouble finding any team that would do so, assuming an average annual value around $25MM is required. It's time for Scott Boras to work his magic. That brings us to today's poll question: how many years will Fielder get?
How many years will Prince Fielder get?
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7 28% (7,732)
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6 27% (7,494)
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8 18% (5,027)
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5 15% (4,174)
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10 5% (1,246)
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4 2% (646)
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1 2% (482)
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9 1% (318)
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3 1% (292)
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2 0% (89)
Total votes: 27,500
Brewers Notes: Rollins, Ramirez, Fielder
The Brewers grabbed headlines on the trade and free agent market yesterday. Here’s more news from Milwaukee…
- Before signing Aramis Ramirez, the Brewers pursued Jimmy Rollins and told agent Dan Lozano that they'd be willing to offer a four-year deal, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. "We can’t and sit and wait like other clubs," GM Doug Melvin told Rosenthal.
- Ramirez will earn just $6MM in 2012, according to Rosenthal. He'll earn $10MM in 2013 and $16MM in 2014 with a $4MM buyout on a mutual option for 2015, Rosenthal reports. The 2014 salary includes $6MM in deferred money.
- Melvin explained to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that a small market team such as Milwaukee doesn’t generally sign top free agents such as Prince Fielder (Twitter link). "We have to face the reality of the smallest market and the best young player in free agency and how does it work," the GM said.
- The Boras Corporation put together a 73-page binder detailing Fielder's accomplishments and ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick explains how it ended up in the slugger's 'man cave' beside his Sliver Slugger awards. One unnamed GM admits to looking forward to annual books on Boras clients: "I think they're a curiosity," the GM said. "It's kind of like the Sports Illustrated swimsuit calendar," the GM told Crasnick. "You look forward to it coming out each year. But you're not really going to do anything about it."
Brewers Will Not Bid On Prince Fielder
Albert Pujols is off the board with a $254MM contract from the Angels, but Scott Boras is going to let the Prince Fielder market simmer this month. The latest:
- GM Doug Melvin confirmed to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the Brewers are out on Fielder (Twitter link). "I think Scott [Boras] understands that," Melvin told Haudricourt.
- The Cubs are definitely in the mix for Fielder, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. He adds that the Mariners are trying and the Blue Jays and Rangers are "among teams showing interest and thinking hard about it." At the Winter Meetings, Rangers president Nolan Ryan told reporters his team is not in on Fielder.
Pujols’ Wife On Cardinals’ Offer
"The city of St. Louis has absolutely been deceived," said Albert Pujols' wife Deidre today on the Greg & Sandi show this morning on 99.1 Joy FM in St. Louis (thanks to Drew Silva for the link). Deidre's thoughts on her husband's offseason…
- Deidre was confused that the Cardinals said they wanted Albert to be a Cardinal for life but only offered a five-year deal. She feels she and Albert have been given an unfair trial by the public, based on "deceiving numbers" in the media. She explained, "The offer that people have seen on television…had that offer been the one that was given to us with guarantee, we would have a bird on our back. It wasn't a guaranteed situation." Deidre also confirmed they turned down a larger offer in taking $254MM from the Angels. Marlins president David Samson told reporters they were at ten years and "a hair over $200MM," so it's unclear which team offered more than $254MM, if any.
- The Cardinals' ten-year, $210MM offer to Pujols included $30MM deferred without interest, tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Deidre may have been referring to the Cardinals' initial bid of five years and $130MM.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak commented on the negotiations to KFNS St. Louis. He also agreed that it's safe to assume his team will not be in on Prince Fielder.
King’s Latest: Yankees, Fielder, Rangers, McGehee
Here are some notes from George A. King III of The New York Post…
- “I am ready to rock and roll," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman while acknowledging that he still isn't optimistic about making a major pitching addition. "The Yankees are open for business."
- An NL executive heard that the Rangers have interest in signing Prince Fielder and trading Mitch Moreland to the Rays for Wade Davis. A person with knowledge of Texas' plans say neither scenario is close to being done, however. The Rangers checked in with Scott Boras about Fielder during the winter meetings.
- The Rangers also have interest in Casey McGehee of the Brewers to play first base, which would still allow them to make the Moreland-for-Davis swap. Matt Moore's new extension means the Rays won't have to send him down to the minors for service time reasons, giving them six starters (David Price, James Shields, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Hellickson, Moore, and Davis) for five spots.
Poll: Where Will Prince Fielder Sign?
With Albert Pujols now off the market, Prince Fielder is the biggest free agent still available. It's been a hard market to gauge for Fielder — a quick look at the big man's MLBTR page shows several teams with an interest, but seemingly just as many posts arguing why those same teams are seemingly shying away from giving Fielder the eight- or nine-year, $200MM contract he and Scott Boras are trying to find.
Boras' recent statements about his client are, unsurprisingly, a best-case scenario about Fielder's ability and what he can bring to a new team, as MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith observed. Is there a team willing to look past Fielder's weight, defensive shortcomings and likelihood of a decline in the latter years of a long-term contract and instead focus on the fact that he's one of the game's very best sluggers? Where do you think Fielder will play in 2012?
Where Will Prince Fielder Sign?
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Chicago Cubs 24% (9,199)
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Seattle Mariners 14% (5,289)
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Texas Rangers 11% (4,269)
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Toronto Blue Jays 10% (3,904)
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St. Louis Cardinals 9% (3,634)
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Milwaukee Brewers 7% (2,804)
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Miami Marlins 7% (2,700)
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Washington Nationals 6% (2,196)
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Baltimore Orioles 5% (1,836)
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Los Angeles Dodgers 4% (1,544)
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Other 4% (1,373)
Total votes: 38,748