Prince Fielder: Can DC Land Their Prince? Nats Talks with Fielder Heat Up

There is no doubt that Scott Boras loves to have the spotlight all to himself and his clients.  With the Angels moving on Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson a few weeks back, the baseball free agent world has turned to Prince Fielder. 

Most would have thought Fielder would have signed somewhere by now, but remember that another huge Boras client, Matt Holliday, didn't sign his franchise record-setting contract with the Cardinals until January 5, 2010.  There is no panic from the Boras or Fielder camps at this point, now that Prince is the marquee prize in Major League Baseball.

There have been rumors the Cubs and Mariners have interest, but nothing has really come of those.  Fielder could be a nice fit in Chicago, but with a new GM and a newer ownership group, it may be too tall a task to complete until Theo Epstein has had a chance to review what is in the Cubs' cupboards. 

Seattle would be the death of Fielder, as Safeco field is where hitters go to die in the American League.  It is a very pitcher-friendly park and if Fielder has to hit in the thick coastal air when the roof is open, he will become league's highest-paid doubles hitter.

It seems that the Nationals would be an excellent fit for Fielder.  The Nationals have not been shy when it comes to opening the wallet in recent years with the signings of Jason Werth (7 yrs/$126 million), Ryan Zimmerman (5 yrs/$45 million) and Stephen Strasburg ($15.1 million signing bonus). 

A lineup with Jason Werth, hot phenom Bryce Harper, Mike Morse, Ryan Zimmerman and Fielder could light up the scoreboard with regularity.  Add to that a young, up-and-coming pitching staff led by Stephen Strasburg, the Nats could find themselves in contention for a wild card spot quickly. 

Prince could be an excellent mentor for Harper, who has struggled with maturity issues in the minor leagues on more than one occasion since being drafted by the Nats. 

While Fielder has taken flack for some of his perceived antics while in Milwaukee, i.e. his boxing matches with Ryan Braun and the "Beast Mode" fad, there is no doubt Fielder brought that team together and got them to the NLCS in 2011.

Prince finally has the chance to write his ticket and if he signs with the Nats, he'll most certainly shift the spotlight from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave to Nationals Park.