We need Prince Fielder as much as any team needs a single player!

[GoldGlove21]

If I am a GM looking for a game changer then Prince Fielder is one of those guys IMO. He is one of those guys that can take a mediocre team and make them a contender (At least on the offensive side) almost overnight. He is a legit MVP candidate every year and he will be a young 28 when coming into the 2012 season. He is on pace to drive in more than 138 runs this year and he drove in 138 exactly for both the 2009 and 2010 season after driving in 134 in 2008!

Prince has stuck out 53 times and walked 54 this year while hitting 20 doubles, a triple, 21 bombs and driving in 69. Oh, he is also hitting .299 for the year with a OBP of .416 and a OPS of .997. Fielder had 7 error in 2009, 4 in 2010 and while he has 8 this year he is not a bad fielder. If we can run Reynolds out there at third every night and see him with 20 errors+ at the break then Fielder's glove should not be an issue.

Prince is such a freak athelete as well. I do not think he is like his pops at all in this manner and I think weight will not be an issue for him during the life of a 6 years deal. I wouldn't go 7 on him at $25M per season, but for his passion, skillset and leadership abilities I wouldn't blink to give him a 6/$150M deal!

The 7 hitters in this lineup look legit to me. Let Reynolds DH and go get a good fielding decent hitting third baseman to bat 8th and there you go. One player, much better lineup. If you are worried then you should front load the contract. It would give him more of an incentive up front and it would be easier to deal him after the

4th year if things looked bleak. It would also allow us to lock up other guys if they performed well.

Roberts

Markakis

Jones

Fielder

Reynolds

Reimold

Wieters

Hardy

If we cut the salaries for Guerrero, Lee and Gregg we would just about have the money needed for Fielder over a single year and we wouldn't be likely to have the same question marks.

[Going Underground]

Why would Fielder come to the Orioles? MacPhail is not going to overpay for him. We will be in the running for him like Vicor Martinez. The O's will be slightly outbid and will go elsewhere. Fielder will say what VMat said: "The O's were on my radar but I went with the Tigers".

[JTrea81]

Why would Fielder come to the Orioles? MacPhail is not going to overpay for him. We will be in the running for him like Vicor Martinez. The O's will be slightly outbid and will go elsewhere. Fielder will say what VMat said: "The O's were on my radar but I went with the Tigers".

Hopefully MacPhail won't be the one that will be pursuing him.

Carlos Pena will probably be our target if MacPhail returns...

[Moose Milligan]

I understand, and agree to a certain extent. It'd be nice to have Prince.

However, a couple of things:

1. Never trust a player who is having a massive season in a contract year. That goes for practically any sport.

2. His body type. Destined for a breakdown.

3. He's too expensive.

4. MacPhail's offseason. Is he coming back or isn't he? If he's not, I'm willing to be there's going to be a long search for a GM and we're going to miss out.

5. Angelos.

6. All offers considered equal...if you were Prince Fielder, would you want to come to Baltimore or a team with a brighter future?

[Going Underground]

Hopefully MacPhail won't be the one that will be pursuing him.

Carlos Pena will probably be our target if MacPhail returns...

I think Carlos Delgado.:laughlol: He is making a comebackl after years of being hurt. He used to be good. Wily Mo Pena at DH. He has five homers in 39 at bats. We need a cleanup hitter. Guys would be cheap and not blocking the O's prospects. I am joking of course but these are the guys the O's usually get.

[Can_of_corn]

I am not sure how you can be watching this team, this season, and not think that pitching is more important then who they have playing first base. Pretty sure Prince wouldn't have created the 10 more runs the O's needed last night.

[JTrea81]

I think Carlos Delgado.:laughlol: He is making a comebackl after years of being hurt. He used to be good. Wily Mo Pena at DH. He has five homers in 39 at bats. We need a cleanup hitter. Guys would be cheap and not blocking the O's prospects. I am joking of course but these are the guys the O's usually get.

Pena fits the bill. Former Cub? Check! Likely to be washed up next year? Check!

Then people will say what a fantastic move it was to get him and that Fielder got paid too much and by signing Pena we'll buy time for Townsend or Mahoney to take over at 1B. Townsend will get hurt, Mahoney will slump, Pena will be dumped in August and Brandon Snyder or some AAAA player we signed will take over and then we'll rinse and repeat for 2013 at 1B...

[GoldGlove21]

It depends on what Fielder wants to be honest. His early suitors are who? The Orioles, Angels, Cubs and Nationals? I think the Nationals are an up and coming team, but they place in a difficult division and they have been bad for years as well. The Cubs are not beating down the winning door, but Chicago seems like a cool place to live. The Angels are a team that would have a real shot IMO. They have a history of contending, Fielder has ties to that area (His Dad actually mentioned it in a recent interview) and California is considered a better destination than Baltimore.

I think the fact that Fielder can be moved to the DH if needed takes some risk out of signing a guy his size. I didn't hear anyone say Dunn's size or Victor Martinez size was an issue and those guys are not small or cheap. Fielder has had monster seasons before so this season changes nothing for me. Taking a good look at his career numbers shows that he is an offensive monster. If we were going to offer Tex a big contract, then maybe we will offer one to Fielder. I doubt it, but I would LOVE to have him as an Oriole and he would instantly be my favorite player. I think from 28-32 he will be an MVP candidate in the AL East and someone will be glad to have him.

[GoldGlove21]

I have seen nothing from Mahoney or Townsend to think they are the long term answer for first. Like I said in another thread, if you are going to play like a loser and act like a loser then do it on the cheap.

[Hank Scorpio]

I understand, and agree to a certain extent. It'd be nice to have Prince.

However, a couple of things:

1. Never trust a player who is having a massive season in a contract year. That goes for practically any sport.

2. His body type. Destined for a breakdown.

3. He's too expensive.

4. MacPhail's offseason. Is he coming back or isn't he? If he's not, I'm willing to be there's going to be a long search for a GM and we're going to miss out.

5. Angelos.

6. All offers considered equal...if you were Prince Fielder, would you want to come to Baltimore or a team with a brighter future?

7. The Orioles biggest need is very obviously competent starting pitching, just like it's been for oh, 10 years straight.

[Sports Guy]

It depends on what Fielder wants to be honest. His early suitors are who? The Orioles, Angels, Cubs and Nationals? I think the Nationals are an up and coming team, but they place in a difficult division and they have been bad for years as well. The Cubs are not beating down the winning door, but Chicago seems like a cool place to live. The Angels are a team that would have a real shot IMO. They have a history of contending, Fielder has ties to that area (His Dad actually mentioned it in a recent interview) and California is considered a better destination than Baltimore.

I think the fact that Fielder can be moved to the DH if needed takes some risk out of signing a guy his size. I didn't hear anyone say Dunn's size or Victor Martinez size was an issue and those guys are not small or cheap. Fielder has had monster seasons before so this season changes nothing for me. Taking a good look at his career numbers shows that he is an offensive monster. If we were going to offer Tex a big contract, then maybe we will offer one to Fielder. I doubt it, but I would LOVE to have him as an Oriole and he would instantly be my favorite player. I think from 28-32 he will be an MVP candidate in the AL East and someone will be glad to have him.

1) Contracts not nearly as big.

2) Their body types are nothing like Fielder's.

3) Bringing up Fielder is doing this year ignores what he has done in the past.

For the next 6 years, he will probably be worth 20-25 WAR...That is in the area of 80-100 million...How much over that are you willing to pay him?

[GoldGlove21]

I am not sure how you can be watching this team, this season, and not think that pitching is more important then who they have playing first base. Pretty sure Prince wouldn't have created the 10 more runs the O's needed last night.

Derek Lee is slugging .644 in 2011, Fielder is at .997. Lee's War is 0 so far and Fielder's is 3.6! The Orioles not being able to pitch is the fault of upper management as they could have signed a veteran with some ability sometime ago. Running out Matusz, Britton, Bergesen, Tillman and Arrieta as the rest of the rotation following Guthrie is a bad move by all accounts. It is great for building for the future, but it is bad for winning now. Pitching and defense do win games, but there are only a few pitchers in the AL that I would consider amazing. The bats do the talking in the AL East once a true ace is signed. The Orioles get Fielder and an Ace and we are talking about a much better team IMO.

A legit #4 hitter makes the lineup better and takes a little pressure off of everyone. A legit #1 starter or even a solid veteran start allows Matusz, Britton and Arrieta to be pushed down a slot. Instead of investing upwards of $31.5M and two draft picks on the likes of Lee, Guerrero, Gregg, Gonzalez and Scott the Orioles could have a guy like Fielder and a better #2/#3 pitcher. The Orioles need to find a smarter way to spend their money. It seems like 5 guys for $31.5M is a bargain, but only if they perform. If we are going to look at it like Fielder can't pitch then we need to look at it like the rotation can't hit.

The Orioles offense is middle of the road in most AL offensive categories, but they need to do a better job with runners in scoring position and getting runs from outs in particular. I want to see the team use some of that minor league pitching as relievers moving forward and invest in a middle of the order bat and legit starting pitcher. Expecting to develop your entire pitching staff through your farm system is far fetched at best.

[zsacks]

I am not sure how you can be watching this team, this season, and not think that pitching is more important then who they have playing first base. Pretty sure Prince wouldn't have created the 10 more runs the O's needed last night.

I think thay getting Prince is a dream, but if you think that Matusz can get his velocity back and you keep Guthrie then you have a decent top 4 for your rotation albeit without an ace

[ShaneDawg85]

We need a top of the rotation starter than anybody else.

[Can_of_corn]

Derek Lee is slugging .644 in 2011, Fielder is at .997. Lee's War is 0 so far and Fielder's is 3.6! The Orioles not being able to pitch is the fault of upper management as they could have signed a veteran with some ability sometime ago. Running out Matusz, Britton, Bergesen, Tillman and Arrieta as the rest of the rotation following Guthrie is a bad move by all accounts. It is great for building for the future, but it is bad for winning now. Pitching and defense do win games, but there are only a few pitchers in the AL that I would consider amazing. The bats do the talking in the AL East once a true ace is signed. The Orioles get Fielder and an Ace and we are talking about a much better team IMO.

A legit #4 hitter makes the lineup better and takes a little pressure off of everyone. A legit #1 starter or even a solid veteran start allows Matusz, Britton and Arrieta to be pushed down a slot. Instead of investing upwards of $31.5M and two draft picks on the likes of Lee, Guerrero, Gregg, Gonzalez and Scott the Orioles could have a guy like Fielder and a better #2/#3 pitcher. The Orioles need to find a smarter way to spend their money. It seems like 5 guys for $31.5M is a bargain, but only if they perform. If we are going to look at it like Fielder can't pitch then we need to look at it like the rotation can't hit.

The Orioles offense is middle of the road in most AL offensive categories, but they need to do a better job with runners in scoring position and getting runs from outs in particular. I want to see the team use some of that minor league pitching as relievers moving forward and invest in a middle of the order bat and legit starting pitcher. Expecting to develop your entire pitching staff through your farm system is far fetched at best.

The only one of the players you listed that cost the O's a pick is Gonzo. My views on signing free agent relief pitching is well documented on this board. Scott was part of the Tejada trade btw, not sure why you listed him with FA signings.

Yes the O's hitters need to rebound with RISP, remember, this same group of players were amongst lead leaders in that very category to start the season. There is also not much in the way of stats that prove "clutch hitting" is a skill.