It's hard to imagine that anything's holding back the market for Prince Fielder at this point. Albert Pujols signed more than a month ago, Yu Darvish and the Rangers worked out a deal, and agent Scott Boras has taken the time to introduce Fielder to some MLB owners. It doesn't seem likely that a new suitor for the powerful free agent first baseman will emerge if Boras continues waiting, since the sale of the Dodgers won't be completed on time to convince the new ownership group of Fielder's value. We're left with rumors linking Fielder to the Nationals, Rangers, Mariners, Dodgers, Cubs and Orioles, but not much certainty. Here are the latest updates on Fielder, with the most recent notes up top:
- A Nationals source says he would be "stunned" to see the Nats give Fielder a contract for longer than seven years, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Kilgore also looks at some other recent contracts for slugging first basemen and predicts Fielder will receive a seven-year, $170MM deal with whatever team signs him.
- The Orioles haven't met with Boras and don't have a meeting scheduled, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. There's some interest, depending on Boras' asking price, but Kubatko doesn't expect the Orioles to chase Fielder. "They're nowhere near being in position to sign him," he writes.
- One GM told Rosenthal that the Rangers are in on Fielder "hard," though others say the Rangers won't go heavy on years (Twitter link).
- The Orioles are "definitely in on" Fielder and there's plenty of motivation to sign him, Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio and MLB.com tweets. Duquette is a former Orioles GM who's the cousin of current GM Dan Duquette. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that interest from the Orioles and Nationals gives Boras leverage (Twitter link).
- The Nationals are a finalist for Fielder, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. The Rangers and at least one other club are still in the running for him.
- There's now "something close to a final four" for Fielder, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
- The Rangers' management team is in the Dominican Republic for the next week, so it's doubtful the team will sign Fielder in the near future, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
- The Nationals continue to work on a deal for Fielder, but there was no agreement as of last night, tweets Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel repeats (on Twitter) that there's no deal at the moment.
Take it to the bank Fielder maxes out at 6 to 7 years / $120 to $140MM total. Size him up for that Nationals uniform when all is said and done.
He would have been in a nationals uniform 1 month ago if we would take that deal he wants wayyy more money.
Wanting and getting are 2 totally different things. It’s getting down to crunch time. In my opinion there are just a few of teams that he’s a fit for and even fewer willing to commit the years and money for even a 6 or 7 year deal at those dollars.
We’ll see where he winds up and for how much.
Milwaukee television station WTMJ4 was reporting this morning that Fielder is working on the final touches of a deal with the Nationals – 8 years. Looks as though someone is trying to push the rumor via Milwaukee media … Boras?
I can’t believe Boras would ever push a rumor unless it was absolutely true and honest. Why, just the other day he sold me some beach front property in Arizona. The deed is in the mail… somewhere.
Enjoy that property, jred! Scott recently sold me a mountain resort in Illinois. Can’t wait to see it!
Since when do television stations get their news from FAKE twitter accounts?
The weird part is that the report does not appear on the TMJ 4 website – only the bit about the Brewers installing their NL Central “pennant.” Dunno. They sure hyped it like the signing was going to be on live.
Since when do television stations get their news from FAKE twitter accounts?
this is beyond stupid. Hey Prince it is almost Feburary and you have no home. What are you trying to set a record for the longest hold out by a FA?
You and Boras need to come down from yiur high horses. You don’t have the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Tigers, Angels and Phillies in play. Most teams can’t afford the outrageous amount of money and years you want. Just because Morneo was stupid enough to give a 10 year deal to a 32 yr old player does not mean you are getting the same. Your weight is an issue . Everytime I see you run rhe bases,you are out of breath and look like you need an oxygen mask. Weight clause should be included.
Take a 6 year @25 million and call it a day.
@blackcourt:disqus
So, captainjeter, I’m guessing that you’re a Yankees fan. Can you tell me how Morneo [sic] signing Pujols to a 10-year deal is any different from your team signing A-Rod to a 10-year deal? They’ll both be 42 when the contract is over…
Prince Fielder is holding a presser today to announce his retirement.
From vegetarianism.
A rough last 2 years for Boras… seems like the League is starting to figure him out. (Hopefully the Nationals won’t bid against themselves again a la Werth.)
They didn’t bid against themselves for Werth. They knew the dudes career stats and that he would never live up to the contract they gave him, they just wanted to show that they aren’t a small market team and are willing to spend money.
I agree, saw the Werth deal as the same as the Mets deal with Pedro in ’05. Needed him to build credibility
That’s the dumbest rationalization I have ever heard. So they could have gotten him cheaper, but wanted to show the world they really can spend money? Really…?
That’s the absolute worst rationalization I have ever heard. So they could have gotten Werth for cheaper, but instead wanted to show the world they really can spend money? Really…?
I didn’t say they could have signed Werth for cheaper.
Before Werth the Nationals biggest FA signings had been guys like Adam Kennedy and Jason Marquis. They wanted to show players around the league that they were gearing up to compete and weren’t afraid of spending money to bring guys in to help do that.
Teams can show others they are serious free agent players without actually signing players. By the time things hit the media and the fans…it’s old news to the players and offices around the league. One phone call to an agent says you are serious with an offer. To me it is all about who you make that commitment to. What I see from the Nationals is a good farm system…and some questionable signings and rumors of signings. Fielder at 8 years to an NL team is crazy…..I’m not even sure he’d be worth the money to an AL team over that period as a DH. It’s not just that he will be a DH…but his bat will likely slow…and teams don’t need to employee the lumbering DH of the 1970’s and 80’s anymore. It’s a misuse of funds over the long term.
Would the Nats signing Fielder make them the favorite in the NL East?
Not sure it would make them the favorite, but I sure think it would make them a favorite to make the postseason. And as the Cardinals proved last year once you get to the dance anything is possible.
I’d say it’d put them right on par with Atlanta
There are people actually dignifying this question with responses.
Prince Fielder is going to the team from his childhood. He remembers driving baseballs into that short porch upper deck in old Tiger Stadium when he was a kid. Miguel Cabrera is moving back to 3rd, where he started in the bigs, and Prince plays 1B. Simple. Done deal.
This is at least as accurate as anything anyone else has written here!
No. Just… No.
As awesome as that lineup would be, we would have an all-time bad defense. Miggy probably couldn’t play 3rd for more than 1 game in a row, let alone an entire season.
I think just as logical would be to move Cabrera to closer and Fielder to center field.
Only if Verlander will DH on his days off
Only if Verlander will DH on his days off
clearly he’s holding out for the padres.
The only reason Bowden tweeted (other than being a blowhard that’s usually wrong) is that he lent credibility to a tweet by some 14 year old kid pretending to be an “insider” — the kid tweeted that the Nats had signed Prince Fielder “done deal” to an 8 year deal with a 3 year opt out. Never mind this kid has tweeted more nonsense than you can imagine and then he just deletes all the false rumors retroactively. Of course he is sometimes right — about the same time the news of any signing breaks on twitter — and somehow has a tiny following of people mocking him. Anyway, I don’t know if Bowden retweeted him or just followed him but that put several people up in arms. So Bowden cleared it up.
Orioles will swoop in and sign him…you heard it here…..talks are progressing
To quote you, “AND YOU KNOW THIS HOW?”
Simple. Read my post dude.
I have a buddy that interns with them.They were crunching numbers last night, and are trying to convince Angelos
So says Jen Royle, and thus so says you.
The name Jen Royle should never be mentioned lol
And even if you’re right, Prince still has to want to come play for the Baltimore Orioles. I hope he does, but somehow I doubt that.
So an “intern” is in on the biggest stealth signing of the MLB off-season.
And Angelos isn’t yet?
I’ve been thinking that a team that hasn’t been talked about much would swoop in and pick up Fielder. Kinda like last year with Cliff Lee. I see no reason why the Mariners would be more appealling than the O’s (other than money, but do you sell your sell to hit in Safeco?). The Cubs have a big name prospect that will probably be ready by the end of the year. The Rangers would essentially have to sacrifice Hamilton to sign Fielder (can’t see them being able to afford both). The Dodgers are financially in limbo at the moment. I could see Detroit signing him but what to do with Martinez next year (and Cabrera to 3b is ridiculous). The Nationals are the only other legitimate fit, but I don’t think they will get him (they’ve traditionally been a quick strike, quick sign type team). I’m quietly optimistic (or dreaming if you like).
The Rangers would have to sacrafice both Michael Young and Josh Hamilton. The Orioles could benefit by the Rangers signing Fielder by trading for both those fellows. I would be all for it.
Would it mean trading both Adam Jones and Zach Britton among others. Yes! However, I would be all for it!
Not at the cost of Britton.
They wouldn’t have to sacrifice both. The Rangers have a new tv agreement coming into effect in 2015. So, all it would take is some back-loading on Fielder’s or Hamilton’s contract to have both and Young. Of course it also means that Fielder will have to take a slight pay cut which would partly happen if he takes a cut in contract length. It takes creativeness, which the Rangers are good at. Look at Darvish’s contract.
The only way the Rangers would be able to get him would be to put together a back loaded deal, of 8-10 years that would require Fielder taking only 10-14 million per year for the first half of the contract. Until the Rangers money flows in from their new TV deal, which is 2015, they are cash poor right now. The owners want to lock up Hamilton first, but if they are able to get Fielder to accept a deal like that, unlikely with Boras involved, they will be happy with keeping their roster as is.
Well Pujols did it…
I check these threads, desperately hoping beyond hope to see the Jays involved. It’s a ridiculous hope, I know.
If I had to guess on a ‘Final Four’ I’d say Seattle, Washington, Toronto, and Los Angeles
If the Los Angeles Dodges sign Prince Fielder, the whole organization should be renamed “The Solyndra Dodgers” and an investigation started.
PS If Prince Fielder is serious about getting signed by Spring Training, he should fire Scott Boras
Wouldn’t firing Scott Boras slow down the process for teams that have been negotiating and laying down a groundwork with Boras since Day One?
I’m pretty sure that arod fired him then got a megadeal
I lied
Prince Fielder … and Scott Boras … were serious about signing before Spring Training.
Replace Toronto with Orioles. There’s been no real indication that Toronto has any interest. Though with that alone that might actually mean that they are trying for them….
Can he pitch?
One year behind with that joke.
from atlanta braves radio network:@MLBInsideNews on twitter reporting Prince Fielder is set to sign 8 year
deal with #Nationals just has to fly from home in FL to DC for physical
A bs tweet from a extremely unreliable source.
That source is worse than Jon Heyman
He’s signing with Texas, he’s already agreed on there offer, everyones just trying to drag this out. Don’t believe me, just wait 24 hours from now when everyone will be whining that its the wilson/pujols, darvish/fielder show.
Grow up. No one has time for this.
Didn’t you just post almost the exact same inanity an hour ago about the Orioles? Some sort of expression involving pots and kettles is coming to mind.
Except i’m not kidding or making baseless assumptions, it already happened, just watch Ricky
Heard a similar rumor. Funny how going to the DR makes it look more like Rangers aren’t interested…like they can’t do a signing and schedule a press conference for when they get back.
Do you mean the fake twitter someone did a couple hours ago about him signing with the Rangers?
If Fielder wants to win now, sign with the Rangers.
If he wants to win in late October, don’t.
I’m kidding don’t freak out.
YOU BASTARD!!!!
You killed Kenny!
Exactly. Nats won’t win for another few years at least.
This is getting old Fatty Magoo. Your agent badly misjudged the market for you. Pick a team already.
the 3rd team? Is it Baltimore, Seattle, or Chicago?
Seattle is my guess.
Why would he go to a team thats all the way across the country from his home town, and in a total pitchers ballpark? Not to mention they’ve now got their DH of the future in Montero.
Mariners are out of it. So are Cubs, since they got Rizzo.
Baltimore is the only logical answer here.
Lots and lots of money and decent core of young players?
Baltimore is only logical if he doesn’t care about winning anything for the remainder of his time in the league.
The fact he’s even considering the Nats and Mariners show he cares more about money than winning, since neither of them are much better than the Orioles.
have you seen the Nats projected roster recently?
have you seen the Nats projected roster recently?
Saying the Nationals aren’t much better than the blO’s shows you know nothing about baseball and anything you say should be ignored.
Both teams will end in the 72-75 win range, if you don’t add Fielder to either team.
I can’t tell if you’re trolling or if you’re actually this stupid.
You expect the Nats to regress by 5-8 wins with improved pitching and presumably similar/improved offense?
It’s clear he knows nothing. Just ignore him.
I think they played over their heads, and the Marlins are gonna be better this year.
They spent all but a month without Strasburg and Zimmerman was gone for 2 months. They aren’t going to regree 5-8 wins.
Texas, Seattle, Washington I assume are the three. What you think?
Scrap that I think rangers are limited so my guess is Washington Seattle and Los Angeles.
lol the Rangers are limited?
He says that, and then lists the Dodgers.
Bob Simpson has said that the Rangers WILL run at a deficit until 2015. I’m not sure if that means the ownership group is willing to spend big bucks, or if the revenue isn’t expected to be there
I think it comes down to the Nationals and Orioles, with Boras playing them against each other. Nats win in the end…..
I think it comes down to the Nationals who outbid late push by the O’s, which Boras uses to get an extra year and opt-out clause
The Orioles look completely stupid if Fielder goes to the Nationals especially if the Nats outbid for him!
The Orioles look stupid anyway, but they might as well contract and /or merge with the Astros.
The Orioles can help themselves if the Rangers sign Fielder or they sign him themselves, but if we lose out to the Nats and we put in a last second bid, that will be the final straw of devastation of what was once an excellent organization.
My thoughts exactly, if Fielder signs with the Nats they will lose the Balt/DC metro area.
Watch out for the Dodgers.
Don’t hold your breath.
I kinda want the yankees to sign him just cuz. Everyone knows in 3 years he will be a dh anyways if hes in the AL. Just go break the bank NYY and then laugh as the Red Sox get Wandy.
What’s a “cuz”?
Mariners are certainly interested, but the likelihood of signing Fielder is low. Jack Z. already made the “move” for the club with Montero, and he probably believes that it will appease the M’s fans just enough so that they keep coming to Safeco.
Rangers! Rangers! Rangers!
lol how people are really falling for the “poor us” Rangers line again…like they did with Darvish. You really think that after going out and getting Darvish that the Rangers would shut the doors on improving themselves further? The only way that Fielder doesn’t end up in a Rangers uniform is if some team with more money than brains offers him the 7-10 year deal he has been craving. Otherwise, it will come down to roughly equal money/years between Nats and Rangers and Fielder will have to choose which team gets him to the World Series quicker.
the Ben&Skin radio show said it best by saying that there’s no reason Prince is on the market this long if he doesnt want to be a Ranger. I understand Boras could’ve been waiting for the Rangers to sign Yu so he could see how much leverage he had. But for Prince to still be unsigned is a clearly a sign of him wanting to be a Ranger. Now we just wait for teams like to Nats and M’s to see how stupid they’ll get (or wont get) with their offers.
I’ve pretty much thought the M’s were out of the running a few weeks ago when we acquired Montero.
I’ve pretty much thought the M’s were out of the running a few weeks ago when we acquired Montero.
“But for Prince to still be unsigned is a clearly a sign of him wanting to be a Ranger.”
This is just illogical.
the Ben&Skin radio show said it best by saying that there’s no reason Prince is on the market this long if he doesnt want to be a Ranger. I understand Boras could’ve been waiting for the Rangers to sign Yu so he could see how much leverage he had. But for Prince to still be unsigned is a clearly a sign of him wanting to be a Ranger. Now we just wait for teams like to Nats and M’s to see how stupid they’ll get (or wont get) with their offers.
As the market continues to stay stagnate, is there a chance that Prince could/would sign a 1-year $25 mil deal and try again next winter? I could see a lot more teams jumping in for a one-year flyer. Detroit, Milwaukee, Florida, Philadelphia?, Arizona, Cleveland, Colorado, plus the teams already mentioned. That could be really interesting. Obviously there is a huge risk, but it could also be a bigger payoff in next year’s market then what he can get now. Any thoughts?
Where does Prince play in Philadelphia?
on a 1-yr deal he plays first. Howard is out for most of the season if not all of it.
Howard is expected to resume baseball activities by mid to late February. How does that have him out for most of the season? Mlb’s website has a news story. Did you read it?
I know what the story says, I also know that Kendrys Morales was supposed to be ready for Spring Training in 2011…I also didn’t say that Philadelphia would be interested, hence the “Philadelphia?” In fact, this is all COMPLETE speculation, just like the rest of this thread. I just thought it might inspire some interesting conversation.
Sorry. I didn’t mean that towards you, but to the person who was placing Fielder at first for the Phillies because Howard was out.
Depending on the one year cost, there are any number of teams that could try to make a push. While I don’t think Philly is one of them (no room in the budget), there is no telling who would jump in at the right price.
With Lidge gone, he can set up for Papelbon
Where does Prince play in Philadelphia?
I think the main reason Orioles are getting into it now is because Angelos doesn’t want the Nats to take more of his fanbase. He was already totally against the idea of them coming to Washington a couple years ago, and forced MLB to play their games on his own TV station… if they get Fielder, it would be just another blow. I think he’ll do anything in his power to keep Fielder away from them, even if it means signing him.
Devil’s advocate, but increasing the Nats’ popularity could help him for a similar reason: better ratings on MASN. Even with the Nats getting a increased share of those profits he probably won’t be too disappointed if they end up making a move to boost that revenue stream.
I think the main reason Orioles are getting into it now is because Angelos doesn’t want the Nats to take more of his fanbase. He was already totally against the idea of them coming to Washington a couple years ago, and forced MLB to play their games on his own TV station… if they get Fielder, it would be just another blow. I think he’ll do anything in his power to keep Fielder away from them, even if it means signing him.
Yo this is a story all about how
my life got flip-turned upside down
I’d like to take a minute – just sit right there
I’ll tell you how I became the Prince of Inner Harbair
Do, do-do do do do… Doo do do do dobadoo do
Dum, dum dum heyahhh
We can speculate all we want how they’re going to win or lose, but the point remains that anyone can look at the two organizations and see that the Nats are in much better position to win soon. There’s nothing in Baltimore to be excited about.
Fielder situation = confusing. Mariners, Nationals, Orioles, Rangers, Dodgers…too many rumors. Too back and fourth. If you want money, go to the Nationals. If you want a chance at a World Series in your prime, go to the Rangers. If you decide elsewhere…then something is not right. Safeco field is terrible for hitters, the Orioles are not near able to compete with the Yankees or Red Sox, even the Jays. The Dodgers are not in the best management situation. Choose soon please, we fans are tired of waiting.
JUST SIGN ALREADY. Sign a 1 year with the brewers and then sign your 10 year deal next year with the dodgers
I suspect the Nats are the seriious bidders and the Rangers are interested only if the price comes way down. So Boras has the Nats bidding against themselves again a la Werth.
Though the Nats are one of the four teams I follow most closely, IF the rumors about an 8 year deal with a 3 year player opt out are true, I’ll be disappointed. Way too much money overall and way too long a commitment for someone with Fielder’s projected longetivity and productivity decline. Why give in to Boras on everything? Length of contract, compensation, player opt out, no -trade clause, etc.??
Rizzo is willing to play games with Boras but I hope Learner is too wise to get hoodwinked again.
And I wouldn’t sign any kind of contract with Fielder without very strict mandatory weight and fitness clauses, mandating he be in much better shape than he has been. Imagine the monster he could be then!
hilarious when grown ups follow multiple teams. and pathetic…
This hold out by Prince makes me wonder if maybe he really doesn’t want to play for either the Nationals or Rangers; maybe there’s some other team he desperately wants to play for, and he’s holding out to see if they’ll jump in the sweepstakes.
He does live in Florida, so the Marlins might make sense, and they were supposedly willing to pay $275 mil for Pujols…he did spend a sizeable chunk of his childhood in Detroit, so maybe he’s hoping that the Tigers will recognize the opportunity to make up for the loss of V-Mart’s bat (and then some)… or, since he was born in SoCal, maybe he dreams of playing in Los Angeles, and is hoping that McCourt can make one final move to inflate the value of the Dodgers for prospective bidders.
I dunno. Just thinking…
Prince really wants to play in Texas, I can almost promise you that.
Apparently, Prince wants to win now. I think that’s the main reason he hasn’t signed. The Rangers are trying to decide whether they want Prince AND Hammy this year, and then lose Hamilton after ’12. Young, as good a Ranger as he has been, has a monster contract that will end after the ’13 season. Texas has a huge media deal that kicks in after 2013, so they would have to operate at a HUGE deficit during the 2013 season if they found a way to keep Hamilton. (in the neighborhood of $60 million for Young, Fielder, and Hamilton).
Its not that he doesnt want to play for the Rangers, its the Rangers dont want to pay him what he wants.
That and there’s a lot of internal discussion about is it worth it signing Prince Fielder and trading Josh Hamilton and Michael Young. The Orioles have to swoop down and get them if they are available for trade. Otherwise, if the Rangers don’t sign him and Prince Fielder goes to the Nationals, the Orioles are toast for good. Who’s going to want to come to the Yard and watch those guys play? The Yard will look like the Old Marlin stadium with between 900 and 1500 fans attending the games. It would be a disaster.
I’m not sure if I would want either. Young is getting long in the tooth, and Hamilton body will break down before Fielders.
I don’t want to get stuck with a 6 + year contract with Fielder. To me at least that’s a problem! I would take Young for two years and Hamilton for a year and then go from there.
I’ll take Prince for 6 years. I think he’d still be highly productive by the end of that contract.
This is the big thing for me. The potential loss in revenue over the years could be more painful than the actual price you pay for Fielder. The Orioles NEED to get this done, or hope someone else takes him away from the Nats.
The DC-Baltimore mutual contempt thing is strong enough to make sure there will always be people who don’t convert. Ditto the fact that people here have memories that involve the Orioles, whereas the Nats simply haven’t been around long enough.
So I don’t think you can say Prince makes it one way or the other. But this could be a key time for O’s management to get things on track, no doubt about that.
There are no internal discussions about trading Hamilton or Young…where are you getting that?
If they signed Fielder, all of these guys would stay together for the 2012 season.
I would love Baltimore to sign Fielder, but at the same time that would mean they grossly overpaid him and sadly contributing to Boras continuing to ruin baseball
Boras isn’t to blame. He may be the biggest exploited of a broken system, but MLB made the system and the Yankees are responsible for the depths of it’s ruin. The New York Yankees might represent greatness to some, but they are also the source of the game’s ruin. The Yankees are the most damaging entity in the history of the sport.
Revenue has gone from 1B to 7.5B in 20 years, so MLB isnt ruined just NFL is megabig atm
Say what you want about the Yankees, but whenever they play, it’s always interesting to watch. Unlike the crap other organizations try to pass off as a team each year, they put a good product out there year after year.
That’s an opinion, and you are entitled to it. They spend the most, but they aren’t the only team to spend. If we are going to damm the Yankees, does everyone else get off? Because, if you were dissolve the Yankees today, there’s any number of 100 million dollar teams out there ready to take their place as top spenders. Any number of teams, like the Marlins, who get taxpayer-subsidized stadiums, and spend big. And any number of teams who take some of that nice revenue sharing and luxury tax and put it in their pockets. This isn’t just sport, it’s big business, and when the Dodgers can be mismanaged into the ground in just a few years, and have the potential to sell for 3.5 times what McCourt paid for it, it tells you it’s a darn good business. The Rangers were in bankruptcy just a couple of years ago, and now they are throwing around 100 million dollar contracts. I’m not defending the Yankees per se, but this is the reality.
That’s perhaps the most simplistic answer to a grossly complicated issue I’ve ever heard. Congrats. But that is only a tiny, overly simplistic, narrow minded, and manipulative analysis. Yes, other teams would be in line to be the top spender, but they’d still be 25% behind the Yanks. There should be a salary cap and floor to solve the pocketing of revenue sharing issue. The Yankees are the team who outbid everyone on everybody for years. They developed this system by consistently scoring the big FA, whether they beat the Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, etc. on that given player is irrelevant. The issue remains that they drove the market to such depths b/c they could afford it due to a nearly inexhaustible revenue stream and could continue to afford it once they took FA spending to a realm most teams can’t approach. Until the early 90s, spending was somewhat self governed despite there being no cap b/c teams simply didn’t dare approach such absurd ceilings. In all sports we had home grown talent and yes, players left via FA, but it wasn’t b/c they were offered hundreds of millions, it was b/c of a reasonable and moderate salary boost and a preference on where they lived. Before FA, teams were all able to compete, but there were still dynasties – formed through developing their own talent and shrewd business strategy. Now, the Yankees can throw 30 mil at a Kei Igawa and never lose a night’s sleep over it, they can sign an ARod to the biggest contract ever and it’s only a one day new story b/c it’s so routine and expected. Meanwhile, half the teams in the league and their fans know they simply cannot compete no matter what. The Rays have the best GM in baseball. They have the best scouting department in baseball. But they
can’t win consistently b/c they constantly lose their players and have to
work exponentially harder to put together an inferior product. There is
something fundamentally wrong with that, which goes against the very grain
of sport itself. Sport is about competition – but we no longer truly have
that. Not when the few can have whatever they want no matter what,
frustrating the overwhelming majority and ruining the integrity of the
sport…but hey, it’s ok b/c the business overall is growing. If you’re
foolish enough to think it’s b/c popularity has risen, that’s on you. It’s
b/c people are literally addicted to sport. They will pay tremendous,
outrageous sums to attend events b/c they are addicted. It’s a
sociological and psychological function of society that we dare not speak
of b/c then we’d have to engage our moral compasses rather than just worry
about the almighty dollar. The trend towards super teams (Yankees, Red
Sox, Heat, etc) and superconferences (NCAA) is a dangerous direction and
you can only stomp on the little guy – who represents the vast majority –
for so long before there are consequences. I assure you that will happen
and it’ll be interesting to see how MLB responds. Because they are going
to have millions of frustrated, angry fans (which they already have) and in
addition there will eventually be some ownership who is sick of turning a
blind eye and taking a beating while being told it’s ok b/c their pockets
are being taken care of. There are so many factors at play and so much
broken in baseball that when it all comes to a crash the game may find
itself in a late 90s freefall again w/o a Cal Ripken Jr., Big Mac and
Slammin Sammy to save it from itself. Let’s not pretend the game of
baseball didn’t already almost kill itself. And to pretend the Yankees
weren’t an overwhelming factor would be naive. The Yankees are bad for
baseball. They have done irreparable harm to the game and generations of
fans and eventually there will be consequences b/c the sport won’t be able
to flourish in the inevitable aftermath when the scales finally tip – which
history has shown us is a certainty to happen, it’s only a matter of time.
So be blind and say “oh, it’s a business” or whatever other Yankees
nonsense you’ve come up with to justify the destruction of America’s Past
Time. What people like you need to realize is that just b/c you can make
an argument that has accurate components does not mean you’re right. Logic
can be used to justify anything. That’s its power. And its greatest flaw.
Unfortunately, you have legions of fans just like you who don’t recognize
the tremendous flaws. And the sport and its fans will ultimately pay the
price. We already are. So enjoy your opinions and attempts at
logic…they have some merit. But when everything is boiled down, when you
stop with excuses and justifications, you are left with the big picture and
that is this: The Yankees ruined baseball. 27 championships. The last
handful came at a tremendous cost: the beauty and integrity of the sport.
Go on…
Yes, could you finish your point?
I’m not looking to try to shake up someone’s belief system. It’s like watching either MSNBC
or Fox to get your political news-it’s just which side of reality you
feel like indulging yourself with. I look around and I see super-giant
teams with huge regional sports networks (BTW, the Yankees weren’t the
first.) I see taxpayers cutting schools, library hours, and sanitation
so they can fund pleasure palaces for the ultra wealthy. I don’t say these are good things-I say they are reality-and to trace all evil back to the Yankees-ignores that reality. The “talent” in baseball will not go back to the reserve clause days, year by year contracts, and 1970’s era pay.
Please don’t give Fielder more then 6 years unless they’re club options
7/170 might not be a bad deal for Fielder and the team if the contract is backloaded and there is an opt-out clause after 4 years. In this way, if Fielder has typical years for 4 years, he will opt out and the team can let him go after 4 good years without paying him much.
I think prince fielder is going to sign a 7y 150m contract with his contract bonus being a lifetime free pass to hometown buffet. He will take that deal even if its the mariners who offer him that.
Gee how surprising….no mention of anything about the M’s in the subsequent points, despite their being the only team seriously wanting to sign him….just not saying anything about it.
Here you go. He is a Ranger. They are playing it off and doing a good job of it! Prince wants to be a Ranger and it will happen. Just watch. It will happen as they clear off some salary and maneuver some players. The “not” signing of Josh is the key to this clue!!
Huge mistake to sign him for more than 3 years. Anyone signing him will have to deal with his weight issues he’ll have. Remember his daddy and also Mo Vaughn.