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Brewers Listening On Prince Fielder, Corey Hart

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The Brewers are listening to offers on Prince Fielder and Corey Hart, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The tweet echoes a similar report by Jeff Fletcher of AOL FanHouse, though Olney suggests that the Brewers have no interest in moving Rickie Weeks.

Fletcher reported that the Brewers were entertaining offers for Fielder because they don't expect to be able to re-sign him when he hits free agency in 2011. Olney offers similar thoughts in two more tweets, indicating there's a very slim chance Milwaukee could afford to lock up the Scott Boras client to an extension. Boras figures to be looking for a contract larger, in both years and dollars, than Ryan Howard's five-year, $125MM deal. Earlier this season, Fielder and Boras turned down an extension offer similar to Howard's, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).

Meanwhile, the Giants have been the team most frequently linked to Hart, though the last rumor we heard had the Brewers asking for more than San Francisco was willing to pay. Hart will earn $4.8MM this year, while Fielder is making $10.5MM. Each player will be eligible for arbitration for the last time in 2011 before becoming free agents.

In a final tweet, Olney adds that David Bush could also be an interesting trade chip for the Brew Crew if they go into sell mode. Bush, who will be eligible for free agency this winter, has a 4.23 ERA in 17 outings this year, including a 2.74 mark since his seven-run blow-up in Minnesota on May 21st.

Odds & Ends: Brewers, Red Sox, Werth, Gonzalez

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Exactly one year ago, the Marlins signed Brendan Donnelly and the A's traded for Scott Hairston. Here are some links to check out today…

Odds & Ends: Texeira, Orioles, Willis, Fielder, Giants

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Links for Sunday, as the baseball world attempts to come to terms with Omar Infante's All-Star nod….

Hunter: Angels Could Use Fielder Or Dunn

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Torii Hunter has never been one to be shy in the media. According to a tweet from FOX Sports' Jim Bowden, Hunter recently opined that his Angels could use an addition like sluggers Prince Fielder or Adam Dunn. When asked if he's talked to GM Tony Reagins or manager Mike Scioscia, Hunter wouldn't say, though Bowden believes he has.

The Angels are without first baseman and heart-of-the-order bat Kendry Morales following a bizarre injury suffered when celebrating a walk-off grand slam. Since then, catcher Mike Napoli has seen the lion's share of playing time at first base. As a first baseman, Napoli is hitting .253/.329/.453. Some may say he's held his own, but he's not living up to Morales' .290/.346/.487 line from 2010, and especially not his .306/.355/.569 breakout from 2009.

Fielder, 26, is eligible for free agency following the 2011 season. As we learned in late June, he's not currently discussing an extension with the Brewers, and you have to imagine that as a Scott Boras client, he's going to test the market. Off to a slower start than 2009, Fielder's still hitting .266/.390/.488 with 18 HR. Due to his age and contract status, he's likely tougher to acquire than Dunn. There's also the issue of what to do with Fielder following 2010 when Morales is healthy.

Dunn, 30, is a free agent following 2010 and off to a better start. He's hitting .276/.363/.549 with 17 homers. Finishing up a two-year, $20MM contract, Dunn has just $6MM of the $12MM he's earning remaining on his contract as of today. We learned yesterday that he'd hoped to have an extension worked out by the All-Star Break, but that seems unlikely.

The Angels sit a manageable 4.5 games behind Texas in the AL West, and we've seen them acquire rentals before, as they did with Mark Teixeira in 2008. A deal for either Fielder or Dunn would likely require far more than they dealt in that trade (Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek), but we've heard there's no limitation on their spending this July.

Odds & Ends: Dunn, Phillies, Crisp, Molina, Fielder

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Saturday linkage..

Olney’s Latest: Lee, Zambrano, Dodgers, Fielder

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In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney says that even though the Yankees already have five good starters, the tight race in the AL East is enough to keep them engaged with the Mariners about Cliff Lee. They will probably make an offer at some point, but they're unlikely to land him because they've been philosophically opposed to trading prospects for a player they could just sign as a free agent after the season.

Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

  • Olney's message to any team looking for bullpen help: Good luck with that. There are no difference-making relievers on the market, and guys like Kerry Wood, David Aardsma, and Jason Frasor are no sure things.
  • Carlos Zambrano has some value as an innings eater, and the Cubs could probably get a team to absorb $10-15MM of the $45MM left on his deal. If he does get traded, Olney says it would likely be in the offseason.
  • People in the Dodgers' organization say there is "little or no hope" that money will be available for the team to make moves.
  • Olney doesn't see the Giants and Brewers matching up in a Prince Fielder trade. Matt Cain is a deal breaker given Tim Lincecum's recent struggles, and Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner won't be enough.

Heyman On D’Backs, Astros, Royals, Soriano

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You thought Cliff Lee was drawing a lot of interest now? One GM told Jon Heyman of SI.com that 12-15 teams could show interest in the Mariners lefty before the July 31st trade deadline. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors, as we wonder which teams are going to be calling Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik about Lee:

  • The D’Backs, who just fired their GM, are talking to clubs about five players, including Dan Haren. Rival GMs agree that Arizona would have to be “overwhelmed” to move Haren, but the D’Backs are seriously considering dealing Adam LaRoche, Kelly Johnson and Chad Qualls. They are also listening to offers for Edwin Jackson, who authored a no-hitter over the weekend.
  • Interim manager Kirk Gibson and interim GM Jerry Dipoto appear to be candidates to take on their responsibilities on a more permanent basis.
  • An executive told Heyman that “just about everyone but Hunter Pence” is available on the Astros. Not surprisingly, one GM told Heyman that no team will take on Carlos Lee and his contract.
  • A rival GM believes the Royals would deal Joakim Soria and another GM believes David DeJesus is better than Curtis Granderson or Johnny Damon.
  • The Cubs would love to move Alfonso Soriano, according to a GM.
  • There has been no noticeable progress between the Brewers and Prince Fielder on an extension, but at least one executive doubts that Prince would fetch much of a return in a trade.


Olney’s Latest: Giants, Zambrano, Fielder, Orioles

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In today's Insider-only blog entry, ESPN.com's Buster Olney ranks baseball's most irreplaceable players, with Albert Pujols and Adrian Gonzalez heading his list. Here are a few other highlights from the column:

  • Responding to Henry Schulman's San Francisco Chronicle piece about the Giants' need for bullpen help, Olney identifies two roadblocks. According to general managers, the relief market is "very, very thin." On top of that, a group of GMs polled by Olney named Brian Sabean as the most difficult GM to trade with.
  • The Cubs have tried to deal with Carlos Zambrano's past outbursts because of his talent and his $91.5MM contract. After the latest blow-up though, it appears the club has run out of patience. According to Olney, there's "an overriding perception within the organization" that Zambrano hasn't cared about living up to his end of the deal.
  • Given the non-existent extension negotiations between Prince Fielder and the Brewers, Olney says the team has two options: trade Fielder and receive a lesser return than fans would expect, or keep the 26-year-old and try to re-sign him after 2011.
  • Buck Showalter had a very good interview with the Orioles, who will also interview Eric Wedge this week (Twitter link).

Brewers Not Discussing Fielder Extension With Boras

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Brewers GM Doug Melvin isn't currently engaged in discussions with Scott Boras about a possible extension for Prince Fielder, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Though Melvin didn't speculate about whether negotiations could re-open in the future, he confirmed that "there's nothing going on at this time."

Haudricourt suggests "word around Miller Park" is that Fielder and Boras shut down contract talks after declining the team's initial offer. For his part, Fielder seems unaware of any negotiations: "I haven't really heard anything about it. I'm not sure if it's a hiatus or not. I'm just focusing on playing baseball right now."

In one of our recent polls, many of you opined that the Brewers ought to trade both Fielder and Corey Hart, but Melvin might be more inclined to explore deals in the offseason rather than before July 31st.

"A position player has to be a perfect fit. There are only so many teams competing for the players [during the season]," Melvin explained. "A lot of them have certain positions filled. So, you're only talking about one or two teams [to trade with]. In the off-season, things change. Players go to other teams as free agents. Teams lose players. You can get more teams involved."

Fielder will earn $10.5MM this year and will be eligible for arbitration for the last time in 2011. Assuming he hits free agency following that season, the slugger figures to be looking for Mark Teixeira money.

Brewers Owner Doesn’t Intend To Dismantle Team

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Brewers owner Mark Attanasio told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he doesn’t intend to rebuild completely just because the Brewers aren’t in contention. The Brewers know that players like Corey Hart and Prince Fielder will appeal to other teams, but the sluggers can also help the Brewers achieve Attanasio’s goal of winning in 2011.

“We think we have a very good team,” he said. “Our intent isn’t to dismantle the team simply because we may not make the playoffs this year.”

Attanasio said he hopes the Brewers keep Fielder this summer, since he’s a “big Prince fan.” GM Doug Melvin, who will be the one fielding offers for the first baseman, has satisfied the team’s owner, though the Brewers' pitching has been largely disappointing since 2008. Attanasio said he’s pleased “from an overall standpoint” with Melvin’s work and that the Brewers will address their 2011 option for manager Ken Macha after the season. 

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