Yesterday, ESPN's Buster Olney speculated in his blog that the Brewers should take advantage of Prince Fielder's great season by dealing him in the offseason to the Red Sox.
Here is what he had to say on the Prince to the Sox speculation:
Prince Fielder tied the Brewers' club RBI mark -- which, of course, won't make it any easier for Milwaukee to keep him long-term. Pure speculation: I think he'll be playing for the Red Sox next season. As Keith Law wrote the other day, the Brewers will soon face the quandary of capitalizing on his trade value after this season or risking losing him after the 2011 season.
Then in his chat yesterday afternoon, he speculated the following:
Don (NYC)
So your gut tells you that Prince will be playing in Boston next year? That seems to leave the RS with a lot of 1B/3b/DH types. I presume that means that you think the Sox either eat Lowell's contract or Ortiz' contract. Or both?Buster Olney
(1:12 PM)
Don: It was just a guess, and you know what -- I'm thinking there could be a better fit with the Brewers for a Fielder trade, anyway: The San Franciso Giants. Pure speculation: Fielder for Cain makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons, which I'll write about in Tuesday's blog.
I have to think that with the mini-breakout in the second half by Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, the Giants desperation for a middle of the order bat may lead them to dealing Matt Cain. Dealing for Fielder would push Pablo Sandoval back to third base.
But, should the Brewers deal Fielder to the Red Sox, they could receive several pitching prospects in return. Who could they in return? Maybe Michael Bowden or Clay Bucholz, or both. Fielder's contract for 2010 is an affordable $10 million, but will increase in 2011 when he goes to arbitration. Arbitration is one of the reasons why the Brewers may deal Fielder in the offseason. The other reason is they don't have a spot on the field for Mat Gamel's bat. The main reason for dealing Fielder is obviously pitching.
Which deal should the Brewers pursue?