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January 4, 2012 11-12 Offseason Joe Janish

Where Will Prince Reign?

Since there isn’t much to say about the Mets at the moment, how about we open a discussion surrounding Prince Fielder — where do you think he will land, and why?

Further, what kind of impact do you think Fielder will have on the team he finally signs with — and the division in which he winds up playing?

For example, if Prince winds up with the Nationals, I might argue that the Nats have a legitimate shot to make a run for second place in 2012. Similarly, if Fielder signs with San Francisco, the Giants could be considered a favorite to win the NL pennant.

What do you think? Post your thoughts in the comments.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. JoeJP January 4, 2012 at 11:17 am
    The Omar Quintanilla signing not of interest, I guess.
  2. NormE January 4, 2012 at 1:04 pm
    Since JoeJP raised the issue (sorry Joe Janish, the Prince Fielder story does not provoke any original thoughts) I think that the Mets need a good, reliable middle infielder on the bench. Omar Q., based on his past, is neither reliable nor good enough.
    It would be folly to expect Ruben T. to play 150+ games this season. It will wear him down, even if he can avoid injuries.
    The farm, at the moment, does not have a MLB-ready SS backup. Money spent in this area would be any excellent insurance policy/investment.

    PS- the Giants with PF and the Panda would be interesting.
    They could moonmight with the WWE as a tag-team.

  3. Mike B January 4, 2012 at 5:28 pm
    Well I did think Prince was the most risky signing for any team to make, more so then Reyes. I think it would be a mistake for a team like Giants to sign him. A desperate team like the Mets(with $), Nationals, Orioles to make a splash and risk him falling apart in a couple of years.
    • Joe Janish January 5, 2012 at 12:31 am
      More so risk than Pujols???
      • Mike B January 5, 2012 at 8:41 am
        No not as risky as Albert, I looked at Cecil Fielders stats. I was surprised to see that he was pretty good until his mid 30’s. I would still be scared signing him to a long term deal. I guess it would be like Jose without the emotional attachment.
  4. DaveSchneck January 4, 2012 at 6:24 pm
    Joe,
    Let’s go out on a limb and say the Big P doesn’t sign with the Mets. If he does land elsewhere in the NL East, it can be expected that he would have an impact in the near term, and most probably increase the possiblity of Wright being dealt for youth. Sandy still has about $10 mil to spend to get to the $100 mil payroll plateau. We’ll soon see if his statements were BS. Will he actually spend it on MLB talent to fill the obvious holes – backup SS, back CF, starting pitching depth – or if he’ll just sign 200 more minor leaguers instead?
  5. Alex January 4, 2012 at 11:19 pm
    There’s a definite feeling here in Seattle that if trading Felix is off the table (as the team insists it is) we have to try and put a decent team around him while he’s still signed/in his prime.

    The M’s would obviously have to throw a ton of money at Prince to get him to come here but they’ll have a new TV deal coming up in 2 years that’s supposed to be highly lucrative.

    I know it’s not a great chance, but I wouldn’t count the Mariners out (maybe as the default if the clock is ticking) — signing him to something like a 6 year deal with higher annual salary than Pujols got.

    • Joe Janish January 5, 2012 at 12:33 am
      Good argument you pose. Agreed — why hold on to King Felix if you are not going to build a team around him?
      • DaveSchneck January 5, 2012 at 11:21 am
        From Mets POV, Seattle would be a great landing place for the Prince, but it will take a boatload of money for him to pick the Mariners.
        • Alex January 5, 2012 at 6:17 pm
          Absolutely true, but I believe Ichiro comes off the books after this year and the Mariners will pony up cash on occasion. The offense was beyond horrible last year and it’s going to be a very empty Safeco next season if the Angels and Rangers are in a two-team race by the All-Star break.

          From the Mets’ POV the Nats seem unlikely given their 1B situation…I guess worst case for the Mets would be Prince as a Marlin?

          We shall see — I really think that Prince’s value is legit. There are so few real power hitters anymore, he’s 27, he’s consistent and he never gets hurt.