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Rangers Co-Owner Prefers Hamilton To Fielder

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With the Yu Darvish contract all wrapped up, the Rangers have found themselves in the middle of the Prince Fielder rumormill whether they like it or not. Team co-owner Bob Simpson told Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News that the slugging first baseman is likely not an option for them at his asking price, and that he'd prefer to re-sign his own star player.

"I think he's, given our set of cards, too pricey," said Simpson. "And if that were to change, I guess they would look at that harder. But right now I think he's priced himself out of what we could do."

"We've got guys, frankly, like Josh Hamilton I would love to see re-signed. And frankly, my personal preference at this moment would be to re-sign him instead of helping Fielder. We (the ownership group) could all debate that."

Simpson said yesterday that the team is operating at a deficit and will continue to do so until their new television deal starts in 2015. Extension talks with Hamilton were put on hold until Darvish and the club's arbitration-eligible players were signed, though assistant GM Thad Levine told Todd Hollandsworth and Jim Memolo on MLB Network Radio that the two sides were "in active discussions" yesterday (mp3 here).

Rangers Notes: Darvish, Fielder, Hamilton

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The Rangers officially got their man today, signing Yu Darvish to a six-year, $60MM contract on top of the $51.7MM posting fee they will now pay the Nippon Ham Fighters. Darvish will wear #11 with the Rangers according to Jeff Wilson of The Forth Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter), a number that NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says will be semi-retired by Nippon Ham. Here's the latest from Texas…

  • The Rangers remain interested in Prince Fielder, but Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News says it would likely take a creative, short-term deal to make it happen.
  • “I’m intimately aware of our budget and it’s very unlikely," said GM Jon Daniels to reporters (including MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan) when asked about Fielder. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports corroborates these reports (Twitter link), saying the slugger's price must come way down.
  • Morosi adds (on Twitter) that the Rangers and Josh Hamilton shelved extension talks recently so they could focus on Darvish and their arbitration-eligible players. Hamilton doesn't want to talk about a new deal once Spring Training starts.
  • "Sometimes these negotiations can be contentious, these were not," said Daniels to reporters (including Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com) when asked about the nature of the Darvish discussions today (Twitter link).

Rangers Notes: Darvish, Fielder, Hamilton

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It's been nearly a month since the Rangers won the bidding for Yu Darvish, which means the deadline for a deal is approaching. The Rangers have until 4pm CDT Wednesday to work out a deal with the Japanese right-hander. Here’s the latest from Texas…

Hamilton Open To Extension Before Spring Training

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The Rangers have been talking to several of their core players about contract extensions this offseason, but Josh Hamilton told Jeff Wilson of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the door for a new deal is only open until Spring Training (Twitter link). He does want to remain in Texas long-term, but apparently does not want to negotiate while preparing for the season.

Hamilton, 30, is scheduled to become a free agent after earning $13.75MM in 2012 as part of the two-year, $24MM contract he signed last winter. He's hit a stout .311/.366/.541 during his four years with the Rangers, but only once in his five-year career has he stayed healthy enough to appear in more than 133 games. A full, healthy season with typical Hamilton production figures to have his agent eyeing Jayson Werth (seven years, $126MM) and Carl Crawford (seven years, $142MM) money on the open market next offseason.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Tuesday

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Seven seasons into his Major League career, Prince Fielder has set a high standard of offensive production. He hits 37 home runs and 32 doubles per 162 games played, while drawing 92 walks and posting a .282/.390/.540 line. Here's the latest on the 27-year-old Scott Boras client as his first appearance on the free agent market continues: 

  • The Mariners made Fielder an offer, or at least told him how much they'd be willing to pay him, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, who adds that the M's "love Fielder" but have financial restrictions.
  • The Cubs have done background work on Fielder and are interested in signing him, but won't come close to approaching a 10-year deal, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
  • The Rangers will not pursue Fielder, even though the division rival Angels signed Albert Pujols, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • The Orioles appear to be in on the Fielder derby, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets that the O's will only be in on Fielder if the market for the first baseman collapses, however.
  • Heyman says the Rangers still appear to be eyeing Fielder. The Rangers like Fielder's youth and middle-of-the-order presence. Though they'd like to lock Josh Hamilton up, they aren't offering the long-term security he seeks, Heyman reports.

Josh Hamilton Discusses Extension

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Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton will be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season, and both Hamilton and the Rangers have a policy of avoiding in-season negotations.  Hamilton told reporters including Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram yesterday, "If something is going to happen, it'll happen this winter or in spring training.  [During the season] I'm going to be focused on what I got to do and what I need to do to help the team win."  Hamilton went on to explain his stance on a possible extension:

"Obviously I love it here.  It always comes down to being treated fairly. I've been this way since I signed out of high school. Treat me fair and don't come in with no ridiculously low stuff."

Rangers president Nolan Ryan told Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas that discussions with Hamilton are an "ongoing process," and he doesn't have a feel for what it will take to retain him.

Heyman On Brewers, Rangers, Wilson

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Albert Pujols will sign a nine-year deal for $220MM, Prince Fielder will sign an eight-year deal for $195MM and Jose Reyes will sign a six-year deal for $120MM, according to Jon Heyman's free agent predictions at SI.com. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors…

  • Some Brewers people were a little surprised that both the Red Sox and Cubs had strong interest in Dale Sveum, according to Heyman. Sveum, Milwaukee’s former hitting coach, interviewed with the Red Sox before accepting the Cubs’ offer to manage the team for the next three years.
  • Rangers people are saying they aren’t expecting to sign any players to nine-figure deals this offseason, according to Heyman. In other words, Rangers fans probably won't be welcoming Fielder or Pujols to Texas in the near future.
  • One offseason focus for the Rangers is an extension for Josh Hamilton, Heyman writes. They signed the outfielder to a two-year deal less than a year ago, but he’s up for free agency after the 2012 campaign.
  • The Mets, Dodgers and Braves are among six teams that have shown interest in free agent infielder Jack Wilson, according to Heyman (on Twitter). Wilson, 33, hit .243/.274/.285 for the Mariners and Braves in 2011, appearing at second, short and third.

Rosenthal On Papelbon, Yankees, Fielder, Pujols

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A Marlins shakeup is looming and the focus is on the team's minor league system, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports in this week's edition of Full Count.  Jim Fleming, the vice president of player development and scouting, has informed his staff that he will be reassigned.  The club's revenues will grow once they move into their new stadium but they still need to do a better job of producing homegrown talent.  Let's take a look at some more highlights from Full Count..

  • The Red Sox are reluctant to give lucrative long-term contracts to closers, but with Jonathan Papelbon they might not be able to resist.  Papelbon will want an increase from his $12MM salary, perhaps something closer to Mariano Rivera's $15MM average yearly pay.  It's possible that no team will want to go there but Rivera has just one year left on his deal and Rafael Soriano hardly looks like the heir to Mo's throne.  Rosenthal wonders aloud if the Yankees would jump in and offer Papelbon a backloaded deal to take over as closer.
  • The Rangers would seem to be an obvious suitor for Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols, especially in light of Mitch Moreland's recent struggles.  Texas will have to spend on pitching if they lose C.J. Wilson in free agency and they might prefer to keep both their payroll and roster flexible.  Josh Hamilton is only one year away from free agency and Ian Kinsler is only two years away. 
  • The sale of the Astros to Jim Crane is not yet official and some in baseball believe that he will not be approved as owner.  Others, however, view a deal as inevitable.  Current owner Drayton McLane wants out and Crane is offering a fair price for the club.  Perhaps most importantly, there does not appear to be any other bidders.  McLane has been loyal to the commissioner's office and he will want to see that loyalty reciprocated.

Heyman On Hamilton, Young, Felix, Royals

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Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton is out for six to eight weeks after enduring a non-displaced fracture of his right shoulder and, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com, some people in Cincinnati may not be completely surprised. After the 2007 season, Reds medical people strongly suggested that the front office should trade Hamilton because of his health reports. Here’s the latest on the Rangers and other notes from around the league:

  • The Rangers were “extremely close” to sending Michael Young to Colorado about a month before Spring Training, according to Heyman. The Rockies loved Young and he would have welcomed a trade to Denver or to either L.A. team. The infielder has since reconciled himself to his role in Texas.
  • A rival GM says he’d trade Felix Hernandez to the Yankees for Ivan Nova, Dellin Betances, Manny Banuelos and Jesus Montero if he were running the Mariners.
  • One GM says Royals GM Dayton Moore did a good job of ‘bottom feeding’ this winter to come up with left-handers Bruce Chen and Jeff Francis on affordable deals.
  • Andres Torres suffered an Achilles injury, so the Giants need outfield depth and are unlikely to release Aaron Rowand soon. Rowand has a .923 OPS so far including two hits yesterday.

Rangers May Explore Long-Term Extensions

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Rangers GM Jon Daniels says that the club still may explore long-term extensions with some players before Spring Training ends, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  The club currently has four notable players who could be candidates for new deals.

Even though he won't be a free agent until after the 2015 season, Elvis Andrus could be in line for an extension.  As Sullivan points out, the Rangers worked out a multiyear deal with Ian Kinsler at a similar point in his career to skirt future arbitration years. Rightfielder Nelson Cruz has three years left before he can test the open market but a multiyear deal would mean avoiding two years of arbitration.

Club officials have suggested that an extension is unlikely with left-hander C.J. Wilson, who is a free agent after this season.  Same goes for slugger Josh Hamilton who recently signed a two-year, $24MM deal to avoid arbitration.  Even though Hamilton is the biggest name in the quartet, Sullivan writes that because the deal was just completed, the two parties probably aren't in a rush to hammer out a new one right away.

Meanwhile, the Rangers would also like to get a deal done with Daniels.  Club president Nolan Ryan is confident that the two sides will work out an extension, though he won't put a timetable on it.

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