Prince Fielder Rumors
By Editorial Staff
Rumors continue to swirl around top free agent first baseman Prince Fielder, as several conflicting reports surfaced yesterday. As has been the case for weeks, reporters continue to tie teams to Fielder, only to have said team come out and publically deny rumors of serious interest. While the Cubs and Rangers have been the flavor of the past week regarding Fielder, the Mariners, Nationals, Marlins, Brewers and even the Orioles got in on the action Tuesday. Here’s a look at the latest Prince Fielder rumors.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported yesterday that the Rangers will not be pursuing Fielder this winter.
However, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com used his Tuesday afternoon article to remind us all not to count the Rangers out of the Prince Fielder sweepstakes. Heyman says that, just because the Rangers won the Yu Darvish bidding doesn’t mean they can’t also sign Fielder this winter.
Heyman says the Rangers could counter the Angels signings of C.J. Wilson and Albert Pujols by inking Darvish and Fielder. According to Heyman, Texas wasn’t interested in Pujols but they covet Fielder due to his age and hitting abilities.
Beyond the Rangers, Heyman indicated that a quiet Fielder pursuit has also included the Nationals, Cubs, Orioles, Marlins, Brewers and Mariners.
The Mariners have found themselves tied to Fielder all offseason, and rumors of their interest will not cease. Heyman was back at it, tweeting that the Mariners “love Fielder” but are not sure if they can afford him. That being the case, Heyman hears that Seattle has told Fielder and his agent Scott Boras how much they’d be willing to hand over to the hefty first baseman.
Heyman also hears that the Orioles still appear to be in on Fielder, though Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun indicated that the Birds will only seriously pursue Fielder if his market totally collapses.
The Cubs have been tabbed as the front-runners for Fielder recently, but the same issues continue to prohibit them from reeling in the 27-year-old. While Chicago has done their homework on Fielder, Buster Olney of ESPN says they are unwilling to extend anything “close to a 10-year deal” for the slugger. At this point, it’s also unknown if the Cubs are willing to spend the kind of money it would take to acquire Fielder.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.