Prince Fielder Rumors: Why the Los Angeles Dodgers Should Sign Him NOW

As the days and weeks pass without Prince Fielder finding a new team, more and more speculation as to where he will wind up comes about. Most recently, a Fielder to the Dodgers move is the popular talk, with ESPN senior writer Buster Olney suggesting that the decision makes sense.

A Los Angeles Times piece, written yesterday by Steve Dilbeck, looks over a Fielder-to-the-Dodgers signing as well and what it could mean for the team.

So what would be the rationale behind the recently bankrupt and soon-to-be-sold Dodgers adding Fielder and his hefty price tag?

Consider this: While the Astros recently went through a fire sale to get their payroll down and make them a more attractive commodity to bid on when they were sold, the Dodgers adding an impact player like Fielder would essentially have the same effect.

The Dodgers are by no means as bad off as the Astros are, and after adding the likes of Mark Ellis, Adam Kennedy, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang to an already solid roster, the team is built to at least make a run at the NL West in 2012. Now add Fielder to that mix, and the team could not only be competitive but among the NL favorites in 2012 and beyond.

Looking beyond the 2012 season, they have a team built to win for years to come. With 2011 NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw and No. 2 starter Chad Billingsley under team control through 2014, as well as superstar Matt Kemp locked up through 2019, three of the team's four young stars will be sticking around.

All-Star right fielder Andre Ethier, set to become a free agent at season's end, could still come to terms on an extension, but the team may be better off trading him before he hits the market to try to add its third baseman of the future.

Also, the team would be able to deal incumbent first baseman James Loney. While he is not a prototypical slugging first baseman, he would likely bring at least a decent return of prospects, making the team that much stronger for the future and saving it roughly $7 million that he will make in arbitration this year.

For a billionaire owner bidding on the team, the potential to buy a solid team versus the potential to buy a team capable of World Series contention could mean several million dollars for Frank McCourt when it comes time to sell.

With Fielder in tow and the progression of young prospects, the 2014 Dodgers lineup could look something like this:

SS Dee Gordon
LF Joc Pederson
CF Matt Kemp
1B Prince Fielder
RF Jerry Sands
3B TBD
2B Ivan DeJesus Jr.
C Tim Federowicz

SP Clayton Kershaw
SP Zach Lee
SP Chad Billingsley
SP Allen Webster
SP Nate Eovaldi
CP Kenley Jansen

While the contracts of Kemp ($21 million), Fielder ($25 million?) and Billingsley ($12 million) would be big, and by that time Kershaw would be signed to an extension or making a ton in arbitration, the rest of that core roster would be players making the league minimum or becoming arbitration-eligible for the first time. 

So, if the Dodgers were to sign Fielder to a contract backloaded away from the first two years, the team could potentially add him and continue to maintain a payroll in the neighborhood of where it was last season. It would make the Dodgers a team to be reckoned with and make them a significantly more attractive purchase for whoever winds up buying the team.

Does that mean the Dodgers are now the front-runners for Fielder's services? Probably not. But there is certainly something to be said for them being a contender for his services.