Does Prince Fielder Have a Texas-Sized Heart?
On Friday the 13th, Prince Fielder met with a few club officials of the Texas Rangers at a Dallas hotel. Scott Boras was present but most believe it was more of a fact finding meeting as the Rangers are also in pursuit of signing Yu Darvish. However the Rangers might be able to sign both Fielder and Darvish if Fielder would agree to an opt-out clause after the third year as suggested by ESPN’s Buster Olney.
While the Chicago Cubs are rumored to be in pursuit of Fielder it is likely that Fielder will not be wearing Cubby Blue anytime soon due to the recent acquisition of Anthony Rizzo. It is believed that the Washington Nationals remain the front runners in the Fielder Sweepstakes since they have been in contact with Scott Boras since the beginning and have the money to spend but the Rangers might be an interesting fit. They already have a powerful lineup with Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre and Ian Kinsler, adding Fielder to that mix might yield anywhere from 140 to 190 home runs as a core group. It would also counteract the Anaheim Angels and their signing of Albert Pujols as it will most certainly be a two team race in the AL West Division.
Offense isn’t what the Rangers need. They have lost CJ Wilson and have no guarantees in signing Darvish. There are too many question marks in that rotation: can Neftali Feliz be a dominant starter, will Derek Holland ever be that ace he was rumored to become, can Matt Harrison and Colby Lewis continue to produce and what about Alexi Ogando? Darvish would be a more valuable add than Fielder but if they could sign them both they could be an early favorite to win the World Series based mostly on their offensive potential.
But then there is the Scott Boras factor. He has always played teams against one another to drive up salaries and hence driving up his take home pay. If Boras and Fielder will agree to a 6 year deal at anywhere from $22-$24 million per year with that opt-out clause that Olney suggested, could Fielder then opt-out and net a bigger pay day? The only problem with that is the concern over Fielder’s body type and whether or not it will allow him to be as durable as he has been throughout his career to this point. It is a risk which I am sure that Boras is aware of.
The bottom line is that it seems it has become a two team race for Fielder’s services but you can never count out that mystery team that Boras will undoubtedly bring up (even if they don’t exist). I expect that the picture will become much clearer this next week and that Fielder will sign before next weekend.
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