Prince Fielder

Tigers, Prince Fielder Nearing Nine-Year Deal

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 23, 2012 at 5:35pm CDT

The Tigers are "very close" to a nine-year deal with Prince Fielder, Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets. Fielder will join Miguel Cabrera in the middle of the Tigers' order to create more than enough offense to make up for the loss of Victor Martinez.

Though the market for Fielder seemed far from robust at times this offseason agent Scott Boras has found an unexpected suitor once again.

This post was originally published on January, 24th, 2012.

Orioles Notes: Fielder, Arbitration-Eligibles, Jones

By Mike Axisa | January 21, 2012 at 12:07pm CDT

Orioles GM Dan Duquette spoke to fans and the media at Orioles FanFest today, so let's round up the latest news (all links go to Twitter)…

"Are we going to get him? I don't know. If we don't, we'll look for someone just like him," said Duquette when asked about the possibility of signing Prince Fielder according to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. "There are some players that are attractive to us that we might be able to sign as a DH. That's still possible."
Duquette said that the team will continue to talk to its arbitration-eligible players right up to a potential hearing, but extension talks have been tabled according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. As our Arbitration Tracker shows, Robert Andino, Brad Bergesen, Jeremy Guthrie, and Adam Jones remain unsigned.
Jones told Ghiroli that staying in Baltimore long-term is "up to them." The outfielder is an extension candidate, but his name has come up in trade talks as well.
Second baseman Brian Roberts has "started his workout program" according to Kubatko, though Ghiroli reports that Duquette said they need to have "more patience." Roberts is still dealing with concussion symptoms and skipped the event per his doctor's advice.

Rangers Co-Owner Prefers Hamilton To Fielder

By Mike Axisa | January 21, 2012 at 10:27am CDT

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).

Latest On Prince Fielder

By Zachary Links | January 20, 2012 at 9:20pm CDT

9:20pm: Bob Simpson, a principal owner of the Rangers, said that the club is operating at a deficit and will until the new TV contract starts in 2015, but that doesn't automatically mean that Prince Fielder is not an option, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram.

5:19pm: Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan said that it would be "pretty hard to think" that a deal with Prince Fielder would develop in an interview yesterday with ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM, writes Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. However, Ryan also conceded that things can always change as he added, "when you think you’re out of something, you get up the next day and find out opportunities exist."

Meanwhile, Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated writes that the Rangers and Nationals each offer unique opportunities to Fielder. The Rangers can win right away and can comfortably offer the slugger an opt-out clause. The Nationals would allow Fielder to stay in the National League and play first base exclusively, but the club is seeking stability and wouldn't want to include an opt-out clause in a deal. Verducci feels that the Rangers payroll can expand even further with a brand-new TV deal kicking in for the 2015 season.

Quick Hits: Garza, Braun, Tigers, Jackson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 19, 2012 at 11:24pm CDT

The Rangers are set to introduce the recently signed Yu Darvish at a press conference tomorrow night, reports Jeff Wilson of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Here's the latest from around the league…

Some MLB executives say Matt Garza’s filing number of $12.5MM “greatly complicates” interest in him as a trade target, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. The right-hander filed for $12.5MM and the Cubs countered at $7.95MM as our Arbitration Tracker shows.
Ryan Braun's appeal hearing for his failed drug test was today, reports Bill Madden, Andy Martino, and Teri Thompson of The New York Daily News. The three-person panel consists of union head Michael Wiener, MLB executive Rob Manfred, and independent arbitrator Shyam Dos. A decision is not expected this weekend, and no player has ever successfully appealed a positive test.
"Of course we'd consider Prince Fielder," said Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski to Angela Wittrock of MLive.com in the wake of Victor Martinez's torn ACL. "But realistically, it's probably not a good fit … I would just say that the fit is really not there at this point."
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about the abundance of aging hitters still available on the free agent market. "Some of these guys have made so much money in their careers, the $2 million-and-less contracts don't sound very appealing,'' said an AL exec. "It's a supply and demand issue. When you have a lot of guys out there, the prices are going to get driven down.''
Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com checks in with top Cubs prospect Brett Jackson and hears that the 2009 first rounder doesn’t get rattled by the possibility of a trade. “All players are tradable at any time,” Jackson said. “That doesn’t put me on edge." People in the Cubs organization have lots of good things to say about Jackson and the Cubs made him untouchable in compensation talks regarding president Theo Epstein, Mooney writes.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Melvin: Brewers “Way Over” Projected Budget

By Mike Axisa | January 19, 2012 at 8:13pm CDT

Coming off their first NLCS appearance in 29 years, the Brewers are looking at the first nine-figure payroll in franchise history heading into 2012. Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel spoke to GM Doug Melvin, who confirmed that the team will outspend its projected budget next year.

“We’re way over what we projected our budget to be at this point,” said Melvin. “It’s over $100 million. We hoped to be in the low 90s.”

There's no indication that the Brewers will need to move some players to shed payroll, and Haudricourt notes that the $100MM+ figure includes players who under team control but remain unsigned. That includes the arbitration-eligible Shaun Marcum and Jose Veras, who filed for $8.7MM and $2.375MM earlier this week, respectively. The team countered with $6.75MM and $2MM.

Melvin also said it's unlikely the Brewers would be able to re-sign Prince Fielder even if the slugger was willing to take a one-year deal. Milwaukee agreed to sign Norichika Aoki for two years and $2.25MM yesterday, but their biggest additions came earlier this offseason: Aramis Ramirez (three years, $36MM) and Alex Gonzalez (one-year, $4.25MM).

AL West Notes: Fielder, Angels, Darvish, Perez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 19, 2012 at 3:15pm CDT

The Athletics signed Brian Fuentes to a two-year, $10.5MM contract on this date last year. The veteran left-hander posted a 3.70 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 36.7% ground ball rate in 58 1/3 innings for the A's and is set to earn $5MM this coming season. Here are the latest links from the AL West…

The Rangers want Prince Fielder to go along with Yu Darvish, but are wary of saying so publicly, Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes. Though they don’t want to offer an Albert Pujols-like $240MM deal, they’d like to sign Fielder, the top free agent remaining.
The Angels are likely to add a late-inning reliever before Opening Day, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. Francisco Cordero and Brad Lidge are among the relievers who have been linked to the Angels this month.
The Mariners, who signed Oliver Perez yesterday, view the lefty as a reliever, Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.
Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times explains that before Darvish turned pro, the Angels were willing to offer a lucrative bonus to lure him to MLB. The Dodgers had been scouting Darvish since he was 15 and Tommy Lasorda was intrigued by the right-hander’s stuff.
The A's are shopping first baseman Brandon Allen, Jerry Crasnick reported this morning.

Beeston Talks Blue Jays, Fielder, Rogers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 19, 2012 at 1:32pm CDT

Blue Jays president Paul Beeston joined Jeff Blair on Sportsnet Radio FAN 590 in Toronto and said the Blue Jays can compete with the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays in the American League East in 2012. He acknowledged the frustration that some Blue Jays fans have expressed over the team's modest payroll, but said money won't solve everything. "It's not just a matter of spending, it's a matter of spending it wisely," he explained. Here are some more highlights from Blair's conversation with Beeston:

Beeston said the Blue Jays ask certain questions of themselves before spending big on any free agent. "Is that going to put you over the top? Is that going to give you an opportunity to get to the point where you have that contending team, that competitive team? Does that one piece do it for you?" Darren Oliver's $4.5MM contract represents the Blue Jays' most substantial free agent expenditure to date under GM Alex Anthopoulos.
The Blue Jays might regret it if they sign Prince Fielder to a ten-year deal, Beeston said. "We all love Prince Fielder," he said. "Prince Fielder is a terrific ballplayer and there's no question about that." Despite the praise for the 27-year-old free agent, it definitely doesn't sound as though he'll be signing in Toronto.
Rogers communications, which owns the Blue Jays, has never denied a request to increase payroll or spend on player development, Beeston said.
Beeston said the Blue Jays could have managed fan expectations better this offseason.

NL East Notes: Wigginton, Brown, Oviedo, Fielder

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 18, 2012 at 11:30pm CDT

Earlier today we heard that the Nationals are discussing a contract extension with Ryan Zimmerman and that the agent for Cole Hamels doesn't think Jered Weaver's five-year $85MM deal is that relevant for his client. Here are some more notes on the NL East, starting with Hamels’ teammates in Philadelphia…

GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said on MLB Network Radio that the Phillies are operating carefully because they’re up against the luxury tax, Jim Bowden tweets.
Amaro said Ty Wigginton will play first base regularly until Ryan Howard returns from the disabled list, Bowden tweets. Jim Thome will also get occasional starts at first.
Amaro said he expects to platoon John Mayberry Jr. and Laynce Nix in left field, Bowden tweets. Unless Domonic Brown wows his bosses in Spring Training, he’ll head to the Phillies' Triple-A club.
There’s an expectation that the Marlins will try to trade Juan Carlos Oviedo, and the reliever told Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he’s mentally prepared for a deal. “It's a business,” he said. “I'd like to stay in Miami, but those are things they decide.”
Many baseball people still view the Nationals as the favorite to sign Prince Fielder, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.

Rangers Notes: Darvish, Fielder, Hamilton

By Mike Axisa | January 18, 2012 at 8:01pm CDT

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).

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