Fans of the Seattle Mariners hoping the club would be in the thick of the Prince Fielder sweepstakes this winter received bad news yesterday. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports that the Mariners have far less money left to spend than it would require to reel in Fielder, making the Prince-to-Seattle rumors “extremely overblown”.
Crasnick spoke with two agents that said the Mariners are now “claiming they only have $3-4 million left to spend on their roster this winter”. Fielder figures to require a deal that pays him $20 million-plus annually.
These two statements combine to lessen the likelihood that Fielder ultimately lands with the Mariners. The same agents told Crasnick that all of the Fielder-to-Mariners speculation is “extremely overblown”.
Many have counted the Mariners as a darkhorse in the race for Fielder. Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik drafted Fielder and loves him as a player. Seattle has a solid young rotation and could certainly use a boost on offense.
But, before the Mariners cash flow came into question, other concerns were limiting the Fielder-to-Seattle talk. Many questioned if Prince would desire to play for a team that plays on the other side of the country of his Florida home. Others wondered if Fielder would want to join a team that has failed to reach the 70-win mark for the past two seasons.
Over the past several weeks, teams have been dropping out of the Fielder sweepstakes left and right. The Mariners may be the latest club to have their name removed from the list, but it’s likely Scott Boras, Fielder’s agent, will try and keep the competition going for as long as he can, or at least until he can get the deal he feels Prince deserves.
Don’t be surprised if a few mystery teams find their way into the mix if few logical known alternatives remain.
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