Prince Fielder Rumors: Fielder Sweepstakes Nearing Conclusion
It may be hard to believe, but it looks like we may finally be nearing the end of the Prince Fielder madness. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that the sweepstakes for Fielder are “nearing conclusion”. Rosenthal also believes the Nationals remain “a leading contender” for Fielder if not the “outright favorite”. Yesterday also brought news regarding the Rangers and Orioles interest in Fielder, so let’s check out the latest rumors surrounding the Prince.
Most around the sport continue to agree that the Nationals will ultimately land Fielder. The Nationals have been the leaders in the race for Fielder for some time now, and it was reported yesterday that Washington was continuing to work on a deal for Prince.
Rosenthal does report that not everyone in Washington’s front office is on board for a Fielder signing. Sources say that some involved in Washington’s ownership would rather see the club go with Adam LaRoche at first in 2012, acquire a center fielder in the near future, and then place the recently extended Michael Morse at first for 2013 and beyond.
Beyond the Nationals, most of the other recent Fielder-related news has involved the Rangers and Orioles.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com is reporting that the Rangers “love” Prince, but that Texas isn’t likely to win the Fielder derby now that they’ve signed Yu Darvish. Heyman considers the Rangers to be in on Fielder, but he does not consider them to be a favorite.
Lots of buzz was created in Charm City this weekend when Orioles general manager Dan Duquette signaled his club was still in the hunt for Fielder. This was only amplified when Jen Royle tweeted that Baltimore’s front office was requesting additional funds from long-time owner Peter Angelos in order to pursue Fielder.
The final word on the Birds yesterday was that Baltimore hadn’t met with Fielder’s agent Scott Boras and that they don’t have a sit down scheduled. While the Orioles could potentially get in on Fielder if his asking price drops, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reported that the Birds are “nowhere near being in position to sign” Prince.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.