Prince Fielder Rumors: Nationals Still “Shooting” for Prince
By Editorial Staff
The Prince Fielder rumors continued yesterday, and Thursday’s team of interest was the Washington Nationals. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com spoke with a Nationals player who said his team is “still shooting for” Fielder. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Buster Olney spoke with several MLB executives that believe Fielder will ultimately land in Washington. Still, the hefty first baseman remains unsigned, so let’s take a look at all of the latest Prince Fielder rumors.
This weekend Olney reported that many around baseball believe the Nationals will ultimately present Fielder with his most attractive offer of the winter. Now, Heyman and Olney are hearing news that continues to tie Fielder to Washington.
However, Heyman’s report must be taken with a grain of salt. An anonymous Nationals player apparently approached Heyman and told him that his team is definitely “in the market” for Fielder. Not only that, but the player said the Nationals are “shooting for” Prince.
As expected, Heyman cautioned that people will “scoff at the validity of a player as a source”, but he noted that the “player did not hesitate and sure seemed to know what he was talking about”.
Speaking with perhaps more knowledgeable sources, Olney heard from several rival executives that they get the feeling Fielder will eventually land with the Nationals this winter.
But, as has been the case with all Fielder-related rumors this offseason, there is a catch.
While Olney and Heyman may hear that the Nationals are favored to bring in Fielder this winter, Mike Rizzo, Washington’s general manager, says different.
After acquiring starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez from the Athletics, Rizzo noted that the Nationals have “more or less decided” that Adam LaRoche will be their starting first baseman in 2012. Rizzo did throw in the caveat that LaRoche will be Washington’s man unless something “extraordinary” happens.
Until the Nationals say different, they will continue to be just one of the eight teams that have been tied to Fielder this offseason. Besides the Nationals, the Rangers, Orioles, Mariners, Marlins, Cubs, Blue Jays and Brewers have all been linked to Fielder.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.