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Prince Fielder

Heyman On Werth, Fielder, Uggla, Mets

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The Phillies have asked the Rays about B.J. Upton and Wade Davis, but someone familiar with the trade talks tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that the Phils may attempt to obtain prospects from Tampa Bay and flip them to Houston to acquire Roy Oswalt. Here’s the latest on the Phillies, plus the rest of Heyman’s rumors:

  • The Phillies offered Jayson Werth a long-term deal, but he didn’t accept it right away.
  • The Blue Jays are looking for middle-infield help, according to Heyman. That’s surprising, since they can retain Aaron Hill through 2014 and Yunel Escobar through 2013. Perhaps the club seeks a versatile depth option.
  • Prince Fielder is not likely to be traded, according to Heyman.
  • One GM tells Heyman that Dan Uggla does not yet appear to be available.
  • The Mets seem to prefer Brett Myers to Ted Lilly. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported earlier today that the Mets maintain interest in Lilly and have cooled on Myers. The reports are not necessarily contradictory, but let’s just say the Mets have some interest in both pitchers.

White Sox “Trying To Accelerate” Talks For Fielder

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The White Sox are "trying to accelerate" talks with the Brewers for Prince Fielder, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Unsurprisingly, Rosenthal says the problem is that the Brewers view Daniel Hudson as only a No. 3 or 4 type.  Yesterday ESPN's Buster Olney wrote that the Brewers' "clear preference will be for young power pitching."  Olney tweets today that the Sox "probably can't make a deal unless they offer Gordon Beckham in the package."

Just yesterday, Rosenthal tweeted that the Sox were not on Fielder due to financial concerns and the difficulty matching up.  The market for Fielder appears to be picking up, as evidenced by Rosenthal's tweet today that the first baseman is generating more calls than Corey Hart.  MLBTR provided a full profile of the Fielder market yesterday.

White Sox Focused On Dunn, Not Fielder

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TUESDAY, 12:07pm: The Sox are focused on Dunn, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and they're not in on Prince Fielder or Lance Berkman.

MONDAY, 11:15pm: White Sox GM Kenny Williams has been trying “desperately” to acquire Adam Dunn from the Nationals, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley’s source says the White Sox don’t want to move Carlos Quentin or Gordon Beckham to acquire Dunn, but would move any minor leaguer, and would trade Dayan Viciedo or Daniel Hudson. But Williams still finds that Nats GM Mike Rizzo is asking a lot, according to Cowley’s source.



"The problem Kenny is finding out is that Rizzo is acting like Dunn is Ryan Howard,'' the source said.


Though the White Sox appear to have interest in Dunn, Williams said that he isn’t optimistic about completing deals this summer.


"If I'm being honest and completely transparent right now of the price that is being asked for some of the players that we've inquired about, for us, it's more detrimental to our present and our future than we'd like,” Williams said.

The White Sox could definitely use an upgrade at DH, but as Williams pointed out, the team could still add a player in August. The White Sox acquired Alex Rios from the Blue Jays in an August 2009 waiver claim.

The Prince Fielder Market

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Earlier this month we learned that the Brewers are listening to offers for first baseman Prince Fielder.  One school of thought is that Fielder's value is at its highest since, as one GM told ESPN's Buster Olney, "he can impact two pennant races."  Another is that Brewers GM Doug Melvin can get more teams involved in the offseason and drive up the price.  At any rate, let's summarize the current Fielder situation.

Contract

Fielder, a Scott Boras client, signed a two-year, $18MM extension in January of 2009.  $4.34MM remains on that contract through the end of the season, and then Fielder will be arbitration-eligible for 2011.  One exec I spoke to feels the slugger could earn around $15-16MM in '11 before reaching free agency and seeking $100MM+ on a multiyear deal.

Performance

Fielder's power is down overall this year, as he's hitting .265/.396/.509 and striking out more than ever.  However, he's slugging .618 since June 1st – more in line with his '09 performance.  And even though doubles and triples are down, Fielder leads the NL with 23 home runs.

Asking Price

In today's blog Olney writes that "the Brewers' clear preference will be for young power pitching."  The deal would have to be built around a household name – a hurler found on Baseball America's midseason top 50 prospects list or a flamethrower who was recently promoted.  I'm guessing the Brewers would want a top 100 prospect as well, and those two players would form the foundation of the deal.

Interested Teams

  • White Sox: GM Kenny Williams says "only a small group of players" can help him, and many baseball writers feel that Fielder is probably on Williams' list.  Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notes that the Brewers scouted Daniel Hudson last night.  Is Hudson the type of player you can build a Fielder deal around?  It may be a moot point, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Sox are "not on Fielder." 
  • Rays: They certainly have the goods, with pitchers such as Jeremy Hellickson and Wade Davis.  However, a source of Yahoo's Jeff Passan says the Rays "won't go near" Fielder, perhaps because of his likely 2011 salary.
  • Giants: With Madison Bumgarner or Jonathan Sanchez, Passan feels the Giants could swing a Fielder deal.  They've also got Zach Wheeler, who is further away but rates very highly.  On the other hand, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted on July 3rd that there had been no recent trade talks between the teams.  That same day Olney opined that he didn't think the Giants could acquire Fielder without Matt Cain.
  • Angels: It's believed they prefer a rental at first base, since Kendry Morales will be ready for the '11 season.  For what it's worth, Torii Hunter would like to see the Angels acquire Fielder or Adam Dunn.
  • You could dream up various other scenarios, though we haven't seen anything about the Mets, Dodgers, or Rangers being interested in Fielder.  Things could open up in the winter, as a surprise team could splurge for a year of Fielder in the way that the Athletics acquired Matt Holliday.

Passan On Fielder, DeJesus, Oswalt

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The latest from Yahoo's Jeff Passan…

  • The Rays "won't go near" Prince Fielder due to a potential $16MM salary in 2011, says one Passan source.  So far any Rays-Fielder connection has been purely speculative, though the team has a history of chasing big names at the trade deadline.  To play devil's advocate to Passan, they could theoretically acquire Fielder now and trade him again in the offseason. 
  • Passan feels that the White Sox and Giants could match up on a Fielder trade, or the Brewers could wait until the offseason to trade their slugger.
  • The Royals' steep asking price for David DeJesus: "a major league-ready prospect, along with at least one midlevel prospect or a pair of lower-level players."  Another take on their asking price tweeted by Dan Hayes of the North County Times: an "ML-ready pitcher and a top prospect."
  • Passan wonders if the Yankees will pursue Roy Oswalt, as they're "about the only team that could fit the $23 million left in his contract for the next year and a half onto their budget."  Indeed, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted today that the Yanks "have an advantage in that they're one of the few teams willing to take on payroll."  We'll have to see whether the Yankees actually inquire on Oswalt and/or Ted Lilly in the coming days.

Cafardo On Gonzalez, Oswalt, Lilly, Ramos

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Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez will eventually end up with another club, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  The reality of a seven- or eight-year deal at more than $20MM per season in a market as small as San Diego remains a long shot.  If Gonzalez, who is under contract through 2011, reaches free agency, he'll be preferred over fellow slugger Prince Fielder, who is also in that free agent class.  Let's see what else Cafardo has for us..

  • Orioles infielder Ty Wigginton's right-handed bat and versatility make him attractive to the Yankees, Reds, Rays, and Angels.  Wigginton likes playing in Baltimore but wouldn't mind being in a playoff race.
  • A major league source wonders if Roy Oswalt will get too picky about to which teams he would approve a trade.  We've already heard that Oswalt won't approve a trade to the White Sox or Tigers.  One talent evaluator says that Oswalt can succeed in the American League.
  • That same talent evaluator told Cafardo that Ted Lilly will encounter problems with a move to the American League.  Therefore, he would make more sense for a team like the Mets, who are said to have interest.
  • Twins catcher Joe Mauer has been playing through a few undisclosed injuries, in part because he feels the need to live up to his enormous contact.  The club has been dangling catcher Wilson Ramos in a trade for a prime pitcher but they're now less inclined to deal him due to concerns about their franchise player.
  • The Red Sox watched Mark Prior throw in Arizona, but a team source says that they won't sign him.

Olney On Mets, Phillies, Fielder

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Yesterday, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported that the Mets have interest in Brett Myers. Today, Olney explains part of the reason the Mets are considering him over the many other options available. Here are the details and the rest of Olney’s rumors:

  • The Mets don’t anticipate having much financial flexibility, so Myers’ $3MM salary has appeal.
  • Myers’ former team, the Phillies, would like to add a starter, and they have discussed pursuing difference-making pitchers.
  • Executives are divided on whether the Brewers will trade Prince Fielder this July. A team that acquires Prince now would have him for two pennant races before he hits free agency at the end of the 2011 season. GM Doug Melvin won’t find many bidders for his first baseman now, but could attempt to engage more teams by marketing Fielder this winter. No matter what you think of Prince's value, we can safely say that the Brewers will have a hard time keeping him after 2011.
  • The White Sox, Rays and Angels could be fits, but rival officials doubt the White Sox would have enough to offer the Brewers unless they offer Daniel Hudson and Gordon Beckham. As MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk pointed out last night, the Angels find themselves in a similar situation.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dodgers, Giants, Fielder, Lee

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On this date in 2001, Fred McGriff invoked his no-trade clause to block a deal that would have sent him from the last place Devil Rays to the first place Cubs. The Crime Dog was born and raised in Tampa, but he relented and agreed to the deal 11 days later. Tampa Bay received Manny Aybar and Jason Smith in return for McGriff, who was unquestionably the greatest player in franchise history at the time.

Hear are some links with the deadline rapidly approaching…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Boras Vs. Olney

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An amusing back-and-forth is emerging between agent Scott Boras and ESPN's Buster Olney, with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel trying to be the objective party while relaying Boras' comments.

The discussion began Monday when Boras expounded to Haudricourt on the virtues of his client, Prince Fielder.  Boras drew a comparison to another of his clients, Mark Teixeira, who received an eight-year, $180MM contract before the 2009 season.

The following day, Olney posted a blog with anonymous quotes from multiple baseball executives, including GMs, who were concerned by Fielder's hefty body type on a long-term deal.  Olney suggested that even now, Fielder is regarded as "one of the worst first basemen in the majors."

Boras was not able to let Olney's comments slide, and Haudricourt has more from the agent in a new blog post today.  Boras cited error totals to defend Fielder's defense, and also railed against the use of unnamed sources.  Boras added that he's "tired of pundits broadcasting their forecasts of free agent markets in July," and said that Olney's predictions for many of his clients have ended up being low.  It'd be interesting to put numbers behind the claim.

Boras Compares Fielder To Teixeira

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TUESDAY: ESPN's Buster Olney spoke to multiple GMs who are scared of Fielder's body type.  Throw in the potential for Adrian Gonzalez and Albert Pujols to join him on the free agent market, and Fielder may struggle to approach Teixeira's deal.  Olney says Scott Boras "made it clear [to the Brewers] that he expects to get more for Fielder than the seven years and $169 million owed to Ryan Howard at the outset of this season."

MONDAY: Just in case any doubt remained, agent Scott Boras made it clear that Prince Fielder won’t be giving the Brewers a hometown discount. Boras told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Prince is a “rare, rare commodity” and suggested that the first baseman could be headed for a Hall of Fame career. Most ominous of all for Brewers fans was the player to whom Boras compared Fielder.

“When you have a player that performs like Mark Teixeira, you have to look at Prince Fielder’s performance in comparison,” Boras said. “You want to know the value of a player? Take a look at it.”

One glance at Teixeira’s eight-year $180MM suggests that Fielder won’t come cheap when he hits free agency after the 2011 season. Haudricourt hears from rival agents that the Brewers offered a five-year deal worth just over $100MM. That’s a substantial offer for the mid-market Brewers, but Boras suggests $180MM isn’t as expensive as it sounds.

“If you look at Mark Teixeira’s contract, he made the Yankees money,” Boras said. “How many teams would take on Mark Teixeira’s contract? I would say 20. The reason is it’s good business to do that. Those players are invaluable.”

Fielder, 26, has 20 homers and a league-leading 61 walks. He has posted a .265/.401/.494 line this year, just short of his career .927 OPS. There’s no question that Fielder will command a substantial contract, and Boras suggests he could surpass Teixeira's deal.

“Prince is a home-run hitter,” Boras said. “He’s 70 home runs ahead of Teixeira at that point [of his career]. Prince has much more power. This is how you [measure] performance and age and production. You have to ask in the marketplace how many players can do this?”

As Boras knows, there aren’t many players who can match Prince’s production. That means other clubs will have interest in Fielder and at this point, the Brewers are reportedly willing to listen to offers as they mull the pros and cons of an expensive extension. 

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