April 2011
Prince Fielder Trade Rumors: 5 Potential Deals the Milwaukee Brewers May Invite
After locking up Ryan Braun through 2020, can the Brewers actually compete for Prince Fielder’s services next season?
With each passing day, the demeanor of most Brewers fans begins to fade ever so slightly regarding the status of their beloved first-baseman, Prince Fielder.
In 2011 (his final year under contract), Fielder is set to make $15.5 Million. Once his contract is up, rumor has it that agent Scott Boras will vouch for a contract at or above the infamous $300 Million range.
For a franchise with a 2011 payroll a shade under $85.5 Million, that’s ridiculously high.
So, for the time being, should Brewers fans begin to relinquish their constructive perceptions of the situation at hand?
By now the answer seems to be a resounding “yes”.
Though the Brewers are in the midst of a promising season, here are five Prince Fielder trade possibilities GM Doug Melvin and owner Mark Antanassio may consider by the end of the season.
Los Angeles Angels
Angels Get: Prince Fielder
Brewers Get: Dan Haren (RHP), two unnamed prospects
Though the Brewers went out and traded for Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum in the offseason, Prince Fielder’s talents would be more than enough to land another prime arm to join the rotation.
Case in point: Dan Haren.
Haren is a superstar talent that has a lot to give to Milwaukee’s rotation, and is on point to make $12.75 Million in 2011 with a contact set to expire in 2012 with a team option in 2013. Though he may only be with the Brewers for one to two seasons, a rental player of Haren’s caliber is an upgrade that makes Milwaukee World Series contenders.
Can you put a price on winning?
San Fransisco Giants
Giants receive: Prince Fielder
Brewers receive: Jonathon Sanchez (RHP), Madison Bumgarner (RHP)
The Giants have been rumored to be in the Prince Fielder sweepstakes for a while now.
What makes this deal possible is the plethora of pitching talent San Fransisco maintains at both the major league level as well as the minor league level. Both Jonathon Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner could be potential targets for Doug Melvin to key in on, as they both bring a lot to the table talent wise.
Likewise, the Giants have been without a “power” bat for quite some time, and Fielder would be able to fill in right away as San Fransisco’s first-baseman.
The only thing holding this deal back, however, is Tim Lincecum’s projected extension with the club that could call for an additional $100 Million.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodgers Get: Prince Fielder
Brewers Get: Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, several unnamed prospects
Like San Fransisco, the Dodgers are lacking a power bat to complement Matt Kemp in their lineup, and Prince Fielder would be an excellent upgrade from James Loney.
The only problem is, what would Milwaukee get in return for dealing away Fielder?
The Dodgers maintain several potential pieces to the puzzle. Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly and notable minor league pitching prospects such as Zach Lee and Chris Withrow.
If Los Angeles is willing to deal away multiple arms for Fielder’s services, I wouldn’t be surprised if this deal gets done in a timely fashion.
Texas Rangers
Rangers Get: Prince Fielder
Brewers Get: C.J. Wilson (RHP), Derek Holland (RHP), several unnamed prospects
Unlike many teams vying for Prince Fielder’s services for next season, the Rangers maintain a plethora of potential deal-breakers that could but Milwakee’s golden slugger in the heart of Texas in 2011.
As we’ve already mentioned, Fielder is on point to make $15 Million in 2011, and C.J. Wilson’s $7 Million salary in 2011 would cover a good portion of Fiedler’s contract of traded to the Brewers.
However, there are other factors weighing heavily on this trade. Which other pitching prospects would Texas be willing to throw in? Could Derek Holland put this deal over the top?
At just 24 years old, Holland has a substantial amount of major league experience under his belt, and would be a prime prospect for Milwaukee’s starting rotation.
Baltimore Orioles
Orioles Get: Prince Fielder, Yuniesky Betancourt (SS)
Brewers Get: Jeremy Guthrie (RHP), several unnamed prospects & compensatory cash
The Orioles are a team on the rise with a lot of talent to dispense, but could be hesitant to deal away future difference-makers with a decent farm-system under their belt.
Before this season, Baltimore signed Derrek Lee to a one-year, $7.25 Million contract. Once he is gone, the Orioles could use that cap space as leverage to pursue Prince Fielder’s services.
Don’t think they have what it takes? Let’s remember: the Orioles made a run at Mark Teixeira two winters ago. They obviously have both the prospects and money to make this deal worthwhile for both parties.
Be that as it may, the Brewers won’t settle for just any return-on-investment. And in Fielder’s case, that could mean all but emptying Baltimore’s farm system.
Prospects such as shortstop Jonathon Schoop, starters Tim Bascom and Wynn Pelzer would be great additions to a potential deal between the two clubs, but you might as well throw in Jeremy Guthrie, because unproven prospects won’t be enough for Milwaukee to deal away Fielder.
Wolf overpowers Pirates as Brewers roll
By George Von Benko / MLB.com | 4/14/2011 11:35 PM ET
PITTSBURGH — Milwaukee got a solid pitching performance from lefty Randy Wolf and downed the Pirates, 4-1, on Thursday night at PNC Park.
“Wolf was great and had command of the fastball, and pitched inside and kept them off balance,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said.
Brewers’ catcher Jonathan Lucroy felt that Wolf was in complete control.
“He kept them off balance real good,” Lucroy stated. “He mixed it up and sped ‘em up, slowed ‘em down and put ‘em away when he had to. He definitely did a good job.”
The Brewers extended their winning streak to four games and sent the Pirates to their fourth consecutive defeat, as they swept the rain-shortened two-game series. Milwaukee extended its mastery over the Pirates — since 2007 the Brewers are now 48-17 against Pittsburgh.
Milwaukee pitchers tossed strong back-to-back games against the Pirates. Wolf, making his third start, had his most effective outing of the season, tossing 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and notching 10 strikeouts. It was the 14th time in his career that he has recorded 10 or more strikeouts. Wolf is now 1-2 on the year.
“Fastball command is always the key behind any game,” Wolf said. “Another big pitch today was my cutter, I had good command of that. It’s a pitch I’ve been burned on the first two games, but I felt I had good command of it today. … I didn’t really have a curveball today, so the pitches I had were a fastball and a cutter — and I felt I could go in and out with my fastball. I could go in off the plate when I needed to, and then pitch away when I needed to.
“I think it goes back to that cutter, I had later action today — and I was able to put it into the zone where it’s a little bit above the belt, where it’s hard for a hitter to get to. … Then to be able to back that up with a fastball that I was able to throw with decent command, that helped.”
The Pirates weren’t overflowing with praise for Wolf’s performance. Andrew McCutchen gave a grudging tip of the cap when asked how much credit Wolf deserved.
“I don’t know, really. He hit his spots, I suppose. He did what he had to do. He got outs. That was it,” McCutchen stated.
Pirates starter Paul Maholm hurled seven innings and surrendered two runs on four hits. He was saddled with the loss, falling to 0-2 on the season.
“[Prince] Fielder got a big hit and we got a couple off him early,” Roenicke offered. “Maholm settled down, and pitched really well and changed speeds. He has pitched well for them, and we knew that coming in.”
“We jumped out early,” Wolf said. “If you look at what Maholm’s done so far this year, he’s had three good games — and I think we knew he was going to be tough. He was mixing his pitches really well, and was really tough on us. He threw a good game. We just were lucky we had just enough to compensate for that.”
The Brewers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Rickie Weeks led off with a single, Ryan Braun drew a one-out walk, and the sizzling Fielder stroked an RBI single to right field to score Weeks. Yuniesky Betancourt then lofted a sacrifice fly to left, driving in Braun. Fielder now has 15 RBIs over his last seven games.
“Everyone knows that Maholm gives me trouble,” Fielder explained. “So to be able to get that hit and get that run was really, really key. That’s when you gotta get him — especially for me because he wears me out, so that’s when you’ve got to get him, get him early.”
Milwaukee added two runs in the top of the ninth. Casey McGehee doubled to lead off the inning, and scored after Betancourt’s single and a throwing error by Pirates second baseman Neil Walker. Nyjer Morgan followed with a double to score Betancourt, before getting thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a triple.
The Pirates scored in the ninth, McCutchen coming home on John Axford’s wild pitch.
After starting the season with an 0-4 record, the Brewers have righted the ship and won five of their last six games.
“I feel a lot of positive energy in this clubhouse,” Lucroy said. “I feel good when I come in. And I feel like that no one even remembers that 0-4 start. Everybody is ready to push that out of their minds and is moving forward.”
Milwaukee Brewers: Prince Fielder Struggles and 5 Observations from Opening Week
The 2011 regular season is now officially underway, but have the Milwaukee Brewers already lost their offseason luster?
Could our expectations have been a bit too high?
The Milwaukee Brewers may have opened their 2011 season on the losing end of a three-game sweep against the Reds, but there are plenty of reasons to be convinced this club has a special season in store.
Zack Grienke’s status is a bit shady, the bullpen shows signs of strain early on and John Axford could have produced a better opening-day outing, but that’s why there are 162 games to an MLB season.
So before Brewers fans across the nation call for Armageddon, here are five takeaways from Milwaukee’s opening week.
Ryan Braun Stays Hot
Milwaukee’s star pupil began his 2011 season on a positive note—accounting for two home runs for the Brew Crew, as well as producing up to his abilities early on.
Coming into this season, Brewer fans’ uncertainty regarding the trade status of Prince Fielder nearly proved too much to handle. But if Braun continues to dominate the way he has been of late, there won’t be much difference whether Fielder is in Milwaukee or not.
Rickie Weeks Continues His Success
Coming into last season, Brewers fans weren’t sure if they would ever see Rickie Weeks in a Milwaukee uniform again, much less if he would be a key contributor in their successes.
Well, for all of his persisting doubters—doubt no more.
Weeks has worked his way up to the pinnacle of all National League second basemen and should be starting in the All-Star game in July.
Weeks’ stats through April 6th: 3 HR, 5 RBI, .286 BA, .810 SLG, 1.095 OPS.
Look for Weeks to dominate for the entirety of Milwaukee’s regular season and to become a staple in Ron Roenicke’s managerial style on the basepaths.
Shaun Marcum Struggles in First Outing
One of the foremost acquisitions of any team this offseason, the Brewers traded two prime prospects for Shaun Marcum’s services, hoping to receive first-class outings in return.
Not everything can go perfect, however.
Marcum was completely and totally dominated by Dusty Baker’s lineup in a 4-2 Brewers loss, and looked completely out of his comfort zone.
When asked about how his first start felt, Marcum simply replied, “It was awkward.”
Look for Marcum to administer 200-plus innings of work for the Brewers this season and to get things turned around as soon as possible.
Bullpen Has Their Work Cut out for Them
Though the Brewers managed to bolster their bullpen with the addition of Takashi Saito from Atlanta, they still have their work cut out for them as we’ve already witnessed a few unnerving occurrences.
On opening day, up-and-coming closer John Axford blew his first save opportunity of the season, as well as a few disappointing outings from reputable relievers such as Mitch Stetter, Sean Green, Brandon Kintzler and Saito.
If things aren’t able to get turned around as divisional play heats up, it won’t matter whether or not the Brewers acquire outstanding starting pitching this offseason.
Look for first-year pitching coach Rick Kranitz to put everything in perspective for Milwaukee’s relievers, and to transform Axford into one of the league’s foremost closers by the end of the season.
Yovani Gallardo Dominates
Just as I had stated some four months ago, Yovani Gallardo still is Milwaukee’s ace heading into this season, and he’s proved me right so far.
In his two starts this season, Gallardo has yielded a 1.20 ERA in 15.0 innings of work, putting atop all other National League starters in the ERA category. Additionally, Gallardo also managed to score the only run of his 1-0 shutout against the Braves, which can only mean he’s the Brewers undisputed MVP thus far.
If his successes continue well into this season, we could be talking about a potential Cy Young-type season for Milwaukee’s ace.
Milwaukee Brewers: Prince Fielder Struggles and 5 Observations from Opening Week
The 2011 regular season is now officially underway, but have the Milwaukee Brewers already lost their offseason luster?
Could our expectations have been a bit too high?
The Milwaukee Brewers may have opened their 2011 season on the losing end of a three-game sweep against the Reds, but there are plenty of reasons to be convinced this club has a special season in store.
Zack Grienke’s status is a bit shady, the bullpen shows signs of strain early on and John Axford could have produced a better opening-day outing, but that’s why there are 162 games to an MLB season.
So before Brewers fans across the nation call for Armageddon, here are five takeaways from Milwaukee’s opening week.
Ryan Braun Stays Hot
Milwaukee’s star pupil began his 2011 season on a positive note—accounting for two home runs for the Brew Crew, as well as producing up to his abilities early on.
Coming into this season, Brewer fans’ uncertainty regarding the trade status of Prince Fielder nearly proved too much to handle. But if Braun continues to dominate the way he has been of late, there won’t be much difference whether Fielder is in Milwaukee or not.
Rickie Weeks Continues His Success
Coming into last season, Brewers fans weren’t sure if they would ever see Rickie Weeks in a Milwaukee uniform again, much less if he would be a key contributor in their successes.
Well, for all of his persisting doubters—doubt no more.
Weeks has worked his way up to the pinnacle of all National League second basemen and should be starting in the All-Star game in July.
Weeks’ stats through April 6th: 3 HR, 5 RBI, .286 BA, .810 SLG, 1.095 OPS.
Look for Weeks to dominate for the entirety of Milwaukee’s regular season and to become a staple in Ron Roenicke’s managerial style on the basepaths.
Shaun Marcum Struggles in First Outing
One of the foremost acquisitions of any team this offseason, the Brewers traded two prime prospects for Shaun Marcum’s services, hoping to receive first-class outings in return.
Not everything can go perfect, however.
Marcum was completely and totally dominated by Dusty Baker’s lineup in a 4-2 Brewers loss, and looked completely out of his comfort zone.
When asked about how his first start felt, Marcum simply replied, “It was awkward.”
Look for Marcum to administer 200-plus innings of work for the Brewers this season and to get things turned around as soon as possible.
Bullpen Has Their Work Cut out for Them
Though the Brewers managed to bolster their bullpen with the addition of Takashi Saito from Atlanta, they still have their work cut out for them as we’ve already witnessed a few unnerving occurrences.
On opening day, up-and-coming closer John Axford blew his first save opportunity of the season, as well as a few disappointing outings from reputable relievers such as Mitch Stetter, Sean Green, Brandon Kintzler and Saito.
If things aren’t able to get turned around as divisional play heats up, it won’t matter whether or not the Brewers acquire outstanding starting pitching this offseason.
Look for first-year pitching coach Rick Kranitz to put everything in perspective for Milwaukee’s relievers, and to transform Axford into one of the league’s foremost closers by the end of the season.
Yovani Gallardo Dominates
Just as I had stated some four months ago, Yovani Gallardo still is Milwaukee’s ace heading into this season, and he’s proved me right so far.
In his two starts this season, Gallardo has yielded a 1.20 ERA in 15.0 innings of work, putting atop all other National League starters in the ERA category. Additionally, Gallardo also managed to score the only run of his 1-0 shutout against the Braves, which can only mean he’s the Brewers undisputed MVP thus far.
If his successes continue well into this season, we could be talking about a potential Cy Young-type season for Milwaukee’s ace.
Alec Dopp
