Prince Fielder Rumors: Rangers “not Interested” in Fielder
By Editorial Staff
The Washington Nationals have taken over the Prince Fielder rumors of late, but we do have an update from a club not located in D.C. T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com is reporting that, with the Rangers currently focused on the Yu Darvish negotiations, Texas is “not interested” in Fielder. And, because a Fielder rumor isn’t complete without a Nationals reference, Buster Olney of ESPN checked in with talent evaluators to get a feel for the impact Fielder would have in Washington. Here’s a rundown of the latest Prince Fielder rumors.
The Rangers just got done hosting Japanese native Yu Darvish, but Sullivan doesn’t think the move should be taken as a sign that a deal is on the horizon. The visit, Darvish’s first to Texas, is viewed as just another step in the negotiation process, which Sullivan believes will “go down to the final day”.
Meanwhile, the Rangers continue to be listed as one of the clubs tied to free agent first baseman Prince Fielder. All throughout the offseason, Texas has denied interest in Fielder, stating they are prepared to enter the 2012 season with Mitch Moreland as their starting first baseman.
However, Texas missed out on several starting pitchers, including former Ranger C.J. Wilson, and many expected an Adrian Beltre-like move to be pulled. Now that Texas has won the rights to negotiate with Darvish, it seems safe to take Rangers general manager Jon Daniels at his word that he and his club are not interested in Fielder.
Still, if the Darvish talks somehow fall through, Sullivan believes the Rangers could turn their attention to Fielder.
Also, while there are no updates to report from the Nationals or Scott Boras camps regarding Fielder, Buster Olney took the time to speak with several MLB talent evaluators to gauge the impact Prince would have on the Nationals.
According to Olney’s sources, Fielder would make the Nationals “an immediate threat” in the National League East.
Others say that Fielder would clearly boost Washington’s revenue, an angle Boras has used when contacting teams’ owners during negotiations.
Olney goes on to present readers with Washington’s projected 2012 lineup including Fielder, and notes that it “might be the best” in the NL. Olney says that this, along with the Nationals top three starting pitchers, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg, could make Washington “good enough to play deep into the postseason”.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.