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Prince of (what?) City

Frayed Knot Jan 03 2012 10:56 AM

Probably the most interesting FA story left is where Prince Fielder winds up. The sheer size and length of Albert's mega-deal seemed to set a pretty big market for the fat, tattooed one, but no one as yet seems interesting on opening the vault for a younger although heftier 1B/DH who had a similarly built father who never had a full season after age 32. - Seattle was rumored to be a landing spot but they've denied it totally and are so far away right now - particularly with their offense - he would be an odd fit there anyway. - The Cubs never got into things as Theo seems more intent on get rid of dead weight contracts in favor of prospects right now before taking on more - The Cards don't look to be interested in going home with the 2nd best girl at the dance after losing the 1st - and the 'usual suspects' (Yanx, Boston, Philly) are set at 1B/DH plus I've heard that the other NYC team is a little light on funds right now. But one possible landing spot involves the Washington Natinals. Sure they got one year left on the deal for Adam LaRoche (at $8mil) who spent much of 2011 on the DL) plus had a surprise breakout season from Michael Morse, but would you really let either one of those get in the way of Prince Fielder? Some rumor got floated a week or so back about them inking Prince then using Morse as a LF (where he'd be awful) or, better yet, dealing him for what they really need which is a leadoff/CFer, possibly for the rumored to be available BJ Upton from Tampa. That all was nothing more than local speculation - and was even pooh-poohed by Wash Post columnist Tom Boswell who is generally the only sports-writer in DC who's even aware that there is a baseball team in town much less follows the sport closely - but now comes a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Report naming the Natinals as the front-runner for the Princely one ... "word is spreading in the industry that the Washington Nationals have emerged as a favorite to sign free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder." The Nats also have a recent history with dealing with Prince's agent Scott Boras (Werth, Strasberg & others) and it may be a clue that Boras most recent piece of bluster/hype involves Washington area icons, releasing a statement that "[Prince is] a combination of Henry Kissenger and Frank Howard. He's got brute strength power. He's a diplomat in the locker room" Not that any of the above proves anything but, if you're Washington, wouldn't you consider adding Prince to an existing IF of Zimmerman and youngsters Espinosa & Desmond, to go along with young catchers Ramos & Flores, plus a potential OF of Werth, Upton, and Cameron with possibly Bryce Harper at mid-season? And, yes, Davey is said to want Harper as soon as possible (as he did with Gooden way back when) especially seeing as he already has 1/2 season of AA under his belt despite not turning 20 y/o until Next October. And then there's a staff where guys like CM Wang & John Lannan are your 4th & 5th starters behind Strasberg, Zimmermann & newly acquired Gio Gonzalez. Not a bad pen either.

Fman99 Jan 03 2012 11:17 AM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Frayed Knot wrote: The Nats also have a recent history with dealing with Prince's agent Scott Boras (Werth, Strasberg & others) and it may be a clue that Boras most recent piece of bluster/hype involves Washington area icons, releasing a statement that "[Prince is] a combination of Henry Kissenger and Frank Howard. He's got brute strength power. He's a diplomat in the locker room" If that quote was any douchier I'd be uncheesing my cooter with it.

Edgy MD Jan 03 2012 11:20 AM Re: Prince of (what?) City

The Nats could certainly upgrade at first, but I like the AL East for a princely future. Baltimore or Toronto. Or maybe the Sox, with their new management team getting a late start, could do something nutty to clear first base for him. Trade Gonzalez or move him to another position or something.

bmfc1 Jan 03 2012 11:24 AM Re: Prince of (what?) City

I don't want the Nationals to get Fielder as he'd make them a strong contender right away. Tom Boswell doesn't want the Nationals to get him either: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/na ... story.html

Gwreck Jan 03 2012 11:57 AM Re: Prince of (what?) City

I think Texas is the most likely destination. I see them being able to pay him the bucks/years he'll want, knowing that they have the DH spot to fall back on when they need to put him there.

metsguyinmichigan Jan 03 2012 01:24 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

I think he's a horrible long-term contract waiting to happen, unless is suddenly discovers conditioning.

TransMonk Jan 03 2012 01:50 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

metsguyinmichigan wrote: I think he's a horrible long-term contract waiting to happen, unless is suddenly discovers conditioning. This. Fman99 wrote: If that quote was any douchier I'd be uncheesing my cooter with it. And the 2012 BOC begins

Fman99 Jan 03 2012 07:34 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

metsguyinmichigan wrote: I think he's a horrible long-term contract waiting to happen, unless is suddenly discovers conditioning. And yet, if you look at his total # of games played, he's missed 13 games in the last six seasons. Total. Say what you will about his build but he stays on the field.

metsguyinmichigan Jan 03 2012 07:47 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Fman99 wrote: metsguyinmichigan wrote: I think he's a horrible long-term contract waiting to happen, unless is suddenly discovers conditioning. And yet, if you look at his total # of games played, he's missed 13 games in the last six seasons. Total. Say what you will about his build but he stays on the field. Which is impressive, to be sure. But you just have to think knees, back or something is going to start giving him trouble on the other side of 30 and in the second half of the a 7-year deal.

Edgy MD Jan 03 2012 08:00 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Maybe, but the thingcicle about Prince is, while he's got a chunky frame, he's not his dad. Four inches shorter and apparently more diet-minded. Weight starts sticking to everybody, and wear and tear of carrying it around starts catching up with everybody, especially if you've got the ol' genetic predisposition. But maybe he can stave that off a bit longer. He always struck me as one of the smartest players out there, if not always wise. What would you offer him in this market? How about five years at $20 million, plus two option years at 22, with one vesting if he stays modestly healthy and another if he stays very healthy? Seems on the fair side. On the other hand, it's less than Reyes got, so I can't imagine he'd jump at it.

Frayed Knot Jan 03 2012 08:14 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 03 2012 08:20 PM

The biggest thing Prince has going for him now is his age; not many hit the FA market this young so to take best advantage of that it seems to me that he's going to want the longest deal possible rather than try to do this dance again when he's in his early/mid 30s and those age/weight questions move from the back of everyone's mind to the front. Plus, short-term deals aren't exactly Boras's style - although he has shown a fondness for opt-out clauses part-way through, as long as such options are at the player's discretion of course. P.S. - the BB-Ref stats show Prince as that full 4 inches shorter than his daddy (didn't realize Cecil was that tall) but also 45 pounds heavier than the man who was once described as holding the major league record for having his back pockets further apart than any many who ever played the game. Now I suspect that 230 weight for papa F. was from early in his career while towards the end that real figure might have had a '3' as its first digit but who knows where Prince winds up when he's 35.

metsguyinmichigan Jan 03 2012 08:18 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

His Dad in his prime was fun to watch. We used to go to a lot of Tiger games in the early 1990s, at least one a homestand. (Having kids put a damper on that.) Cecil would hit some absolute moon shots on to the Tiger Stadium roof. But he kept getting bigger and bigger.

Frayed Knot Jan 03 2012 08:23 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

metsguyinmichigan wrote: His Dad in his prime was fun to watch. We used to go to a lot of Tiger games in the early 1990s, at least one a homestand. (Having kids put a damper on that.) Cecil would hit some absolute moon shots on to the Tiger Stadium roof. But he kept getting bigger and bigger. There are stories of the then 11-12 y/o Prince hitting some long ones during Tiger Stadium BP as well.

Edgy MD Jan 03 2012 08:28 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Frayed Knot wrote: P.S. - the BB-Ref stats show Prince as that full 4 inches shorter than his daddy (didn't realize Cecil was that tall) but also 45 pounds heavier than the man who was once described as holding the major league record for having his back pockets further apart than any many who ever played the game. Now I suspect that 230 weight for papa F. was from early in his career while towards the end that real figure might have had a '3' as its first digit but who knows where Prince winds up when he's 35. I suspect that figure is from early in his career too. Like, high school-early.

Ashie62 Jan 03 2012 08:50 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

I wish Prince was a Met.

MFS62 Jan 03 2012 09:34 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

metsguyinmichigan wrote: His Dad in his prime was fun to watch. We used to go to a lot of Tiger games in the early 1990s, at least one a homestand. (Having kids put a damper on that.) Did any of the old time fans there tell tales of Gates Brown? I don't care what his height and weight were listed at (5'11', 220 lbs), Gates made Prince look absolutely svelte. And he could f'n stroke. Later

Frayed Knot Jan 04 2012 06:27 AM Re: Prince of (what?) City

The difference being that Gates Brown was a criminal pre-career while Cecil waited until afterward to start breaking bad.

Frayed Knot Jan 07 2012 07:27 AM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Cubs seemingly take themselves out of the Prince sweepstakes (assuming they were ever in) by swinging a deal for 1B prospect Anthony Rizzo. This marks the 2nd time GM Jed Hoyer has dealt for Rizzo in the last 13 months (he was part of the bait going to SD in the Adrian Gonzalez deal) and while he may not start the year in Chicago the 22 y/oRizzo is probably the best 1B prospect in the game right now.

Edgy MD Jan 11 2012 01:18 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

smg58 is on record with the Yankees.

Frayed Knot Jan 11 2012 04:41 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

I'd be shocked if he winds up with the Yanx. Between Teixeira signed for the next 65 years, Jesus Montero having a bat ready to go but no real position, and the luxury tax being beefed up in this latest CBA, I don't think it's in the cards for them. On the other hand, MLB.com is reporting that: "There is a "99 percent" chance that the Nationals will not sign free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder, according to a baseball source. The news comes a few weeks after ownership met with Fielder and his agent, Scott Boras, in the nation's capital. The article then goes on the point out that they don't want to sign him at the price he's looking for, meaning anything approaching Pujols years/numbers. Also with Morse & LaRoche on the roster it's not like the Nats are over a barrel here so Boras better find hisself a team that's desperate (???) or thinks they're one player away (Rangers?) or Prince is going to look very silly for turning down the money Milwaukee offered him last summer.

Edgy MD Jan 11 2012 04:52 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

I'm curious where the Giants are in this. They have some diynamite pitching, back-of-the pack offense, Aubrey Huff coming off a stinky year, and they still finished in second place despite scoring fewer than they gave up. They didn't really get in on the Reyes chase, but I don't hear their names bandied about when it comes to Prince Fielder.

Frayed Knot Jan 11 2012 04:58 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Their best prospect coming into last year -- Brandon Belt -- was also a 1B. He had a rough first 200 PAs in the majors [.225/.306/.412] but kicked butt in AAA [.309/.448/.527] and is still only 23. Not sure that's where the Gints want to spend their limited allowance.

Vic Sage Jan 11 2012 09:12 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Belt plays OF, too, so they better take their limited allowance and buy themselves a bat to support that pitching staff. They can swoop in here and get Prince for way under market value, since there is, apparently, no market for Fatman Jr.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 11 2012 10:30 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

It's not JUST Belt-- they're almost definitely looking to get Posey some time at first this year, too. It REALLY would've behooved them to push for Beltran.

seawolf17 Jan 24 2012 01:05 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

The Twitters seem to think that he's headed to Detroit for nine years, which is interesting.

metirish Jan 24 2012 01:06 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

at $200 million....yikes....

Benjamin Grimm Jan 24 2012 01:07 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Wow, for a guy who's played his whole career in Milwaukee, Detroit is going to be quite a culture shock!

G-Fafif Jan 24 2012 01:10 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Wow, for a guy who's played his whole career in Milwaukee, Detroit is going to be quite a culture shock! His dad did OK there.

Edgy MD Jan 24 2012 01:14 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

That gets him out of my league. Hard to think he won't be a Yankee DH before that contract is up.

metirish Jan 24 2012 01:23 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

"Um, guys, I'm still here at first base"

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 24 2012 01:26 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

That team's gonna hit some homas.

sharpie Jan 24 2012 01:26 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

I think Prince's fielding days are over. What will they do during interleague play? Does Cabrera go back to the outfield? Or third base?

attgig Jan 24 2012 01:28 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Victor's out this year, so miggy's supposedly dh'ing this year. next year, they'll either trade victor, or platoon those two at 3b.

metsguyinmichigan Jan 24 2012 02:02 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

People here are going nuts. And I was with GM Dave Drombrowski last week -- about half the Tigers came to pose with the Michigan governor -- and he was saying there was no chance, given that Martinez was out only a year and they had Cabrera and the team probably couldn't take on a contract that big considering the big deals to Verlander and Miggy.

Frayed Knot Jan 24 2012 02:24 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

And all this just as the rumor mill was claiming no team was willing to go more than five years. Looks like Scotty found his sucker once again.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 24 2012 03:37 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

I'd imagine that Tigers fans are excited-- even if Verlander goes down, half the starting lineup slumps, and the bullpen guys die in a car crash... between Cabrera and Fielder, the team should have no problem staying afloat.

Edgy MD Jan 24 2012 04:33 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

This is among Boras' shiniest moments. Got to hand it to him. Prince's mansion should have a special shrine room devoted to Scott Boras

Frayed Knot Jan 24 2012 04:43 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: ... between Cabrera and Fielder, the team should have no problem staying afloat. Between Cabrera and Fielder, ANYTHING will have trouble staying afloat.

Nymr83 Jan 24 2012 04:50 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Edgy DC wrote: This is among Boras' shiniest moments. Got to hand it to him. Prince's mansion should have a special shrine room devoted to Scott Boras This contract is perhaps the most insane i've ever seen... does anyone think Fielder has a chance at lasting that long with his body?

Ceetar Jan 24 2012 05:11 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Nymr83 wrote: Edgy DC wrote: This is among Boras' shiniest moments. Got to hand it to him. Prince's mansion should have a special shrine room devoted to Scott Boras This contract is perhaps the most insane i've ever seen... does anyone think Fielder has a chance at lasting that long with his body? Sabathia's 4 years older and fine. (listed heavier too) and he has to pitch. and can't be stashed at DH. Not selling jeans here.

TransMonk Jan 24 2012 05:17 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Nymr83 wrote: This contract is perhaps the most insane i've ever seen... does anyone think Fielder has a chance at lasting that long with his body? Nope. His first lower body injury will be his last. You want to make a 9-year-bet, Ceets?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 24 2012 05:45 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Frayed Knot wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: ... between Cabrera and Fielder, the team should have no problem staying afloat. Between Cabrera and Fielder, ANYTHING will have trouble staying afloat. [youtube]xECUrlnXCqk[/youtube]

Ceetar Jan 24 2012 05:52 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

TransMonk wrote: Nymr83 wrote: This contract is perhaps the most insane i've ever seen... does anyone think Fielder has a chance at lasting that long with his body? Nope. His first lower body injury will be his last. You want to make a 9-year-bet, Ceets? No, I'm just tired of waiting for all these supposedly bad contracts to suck (besides the ones the Mets sign) There's no formula for injuries. CC had knee surgery before last season. wasn't major, but it was still a lower body injury.

seawolf17 Jan 24 2012 06:40 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Nymr83 wrote: Edgy DC wrote: This is among Boras' shiniest moments. Got to hand it to him. Prince's mansion should have a special shrine room devoted to Scott Boras This contract is perhaps the most insane i've ever seen... does anyone think Fielder has a chance at lasting that long with his body? Looks like the Tigers think so.

Frayed Knot Jan 24 2012 07:38 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

So Prince is now signed through 2010 Miguel Cabrera through 2015 (@ $21, $21, $22 & $22) and Victor Martinez through 2014 (@ $13, $13 & $12) Now Martinez is (most likely) out for this year, but that still leaves at least two years of trying to stick those 3 guys into roughly 2.5 positions - Martinez only caught 26 games last year (DH = 122) so it would be tough to think of him as anything other than a part-time at best catcher following a year off at age 34 - Prince is hardly a great defensive player at 1B but he's better than Cabrera. Not sure if the Tiggers will try either one at 3rd where they've kind of got a hole after Brandon Inge suddenly fell into an abyss last year, but I can imagine either staying there full time. - Then throw in the approx 9-15 games per year where they'll have no DH option and it gets even tighter for for up to 10% of the season On the other side of the coin ... these dudes are gonna MASH, and they're get to do so in front of Verlander 20% of the time.

Edgy MD Jan 24 2012 08:07 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Yeah, it might be interesting to see how many wins Verlander can salamander.

Ceetar Jan 24 2012 08:15 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

I picked the Tigers to win the pennant last year. Looks like they'll continue to be good. I think I'm gonna adopt them as my AL team.

Edgy MD Jan 24 2012 08:21 PM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Prince's last spring training with the Tigers. His first tour of duty with the Tiggs. Cecil walks up on the roof where his victims ended up.

attgig Jan 25 2012 07:17 AM Re: Prince of (what?) City

Prince going to mcdonalds: [youtube:2v3eefrl]RcvaYgWc9eY[/youtube:2v3eefrl]

Edgy MD Jan 25 2012 07:19 AM Re: Prince of (what?) City

That should be a public service ad.

Mets – Willets Point Jan 25 2012 07:22 AM Re: Prince of (what?) City

TransMonk wrote: Nymr83 wrote: This contract is perhaps the most insane i've ever seen... does anyone think Fielder has a chance at lasting that long with his body? Nope. His first lower body injury will be his last. It does remind me of Mo Vaughn who was never the same after injuring his ankle falling into the dugout. I always wonder what would have happened if he'd signed with the Mets instead and then he wouldn't have fallen in the dugout and great things would have happened.

Edgy MD Jan 25 2012 08:52 AM Re: Prince of (what?) City

You know, without playing for the last 125 games of last season, Ike Davis has still moved up two slots in the first base rankings in the National League.