Prince Fielder: Latest News on Top Teams Vying for Prized Free Agent

We're less than a month away from the start of spring training, and slugging free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder still doesn't have a home.

To say that it's getting a tad late for Fielder to find a new employer would be an understatement. The fact that a talented hitter like himself is still unemployed is almost comical.

But Fielder is going to find a home; make no mistake about that. It's just a question of which team will be the first to cut him a huge paycheck for the next five to 10 years. 

There are still more than a few teams in the mix. Let's take a look at all the latest rumblings.

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles were in the running for Mark Teixeira a few years ago, so it makes sense that they would be in on Fielder.

Exactly how in on Fielder the Orioles are varies depending on who you ask.

For example, Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio tweeted on Monday that the O's are "definitely" in on Fielder and that they have "plenty of motivation" to sign him.

Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, however, is skeptical. He tweeted that the Orioles don't have anything set up with Scott Boras, Fielder's agent, and that they "don't know the price." 

Subsequently, Kubatko tweeted that there is "some interest" in Fielder among the Orioles, and then that they're "nowhere near being in position to sign him."

It will all come down to money, and that money will have to come from club owner Peter Angelos. MLB reporter Jen Royle tweeted that manager Buck Showalter met with Angelos last week and asked him for the funds to sign Fielder.

So the Orioles aren't exactly favorites to land Fielder, but they're not out of the picture either.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Current Dodgers owner Frank McCourt doesn't have the cash to sign Prince Fielder.

The thing is that McCourt is not going to be the owner for long. Per MLB.com, the team's sale is heating up, as all bids for the team are due on Monday.

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News mused this on Twitter: "Prince Fielder remains unsigned and the Dodgers sale is about to ramp up. On a related note, Scott Boras is no dummy."

Indeed. The rest of the league isn't filled with dummies either, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted that a number of MLB executives think the Dodgers will "ultimately be in play" for Fielder.

So keep your eye on the Dodgers. They might just swoop in and sign Fielder.

Miami Marlins

The Marlins have been big spenders this offseason, and they were in the mix to land Albert Pujols before he signed with the Los Angeles Angels.

So why aren't they making more noise in the Fielder sweepstakes? 

Here's how Joe Frisaro of MLB.com explained it:

"

Fielder has yet to sign, and while it is doubtful he will join the Marlins, there are some in the industry who believe Miami is quietly in the mix for the All-Star first baseman. I'm not convinced of that, based on my conversations.

Fielder's asking price is incredibly high, and if you've noticed, there aren't a lot of teams going aggressively after him. Fielder certainly is a threat and an exceptional talent. But a $200 million investment in him is very risky. We'll see where Fielder lands, but the way the Marlins see things, first base is not an area of need, at least not at a price that may prevent them from making other moves. Remember, [Gaby] Sanchez was an All-Star last year, and he's a productive player.

"

Personally, I would consider the Marlins a longshot. But if any team is going to make a surprise play for Fielder, it's probably them.

Milwaukee Brewers

In case you're wondering about Fielder's old team, there really isn't any news to report.

This is probably because the Brewers are out of it. Like, completely.

Last week, Tom Haudricort of The Journal Sentinel passed along some words from Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, and they suggested that the team is not expecting to have Fielder in 2012.

“We’re way over what we projected our budget to be at this point,” said Melvin. “It’s over $100 million. We hoped to be in the low 90s.”

So might the Brewers convince Fielder to accept, say, a one-year deal to come back? Is such a deal even worth offering?

“I don’t think we could," said Melvin.

So there's that. Of all the teams connected to Fielder, the Brewers are the least likely team to make a deal with him.

Seattle Mariners

At times, the Mariners have appeared to be the frontrunner for Fielder's services.

It doesn't appear that way anymore. Larry Stone of The Seattle Times wrote on Monday that the "noise is diminishing," meaning that the Mariners seem to be losing interest.

Nevertheless, Stone remains open to the idea.

"I've never believed it was likely, and now it's looking dimmer and dimmer. But until he signs somewhere -- and one of these days, this long, national nightmare is going to end -- you can't completely write it off," he wrote.

So, just like every other team in the mix (except the Brewers), you can't count the Mariners out.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers were the favorites to sign Fielder for a little while, but their place in the Fielder hunt has been in flux ever since they signed Japanese ace Yu Darvish to a six-year contract.

The latest comes from Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, who tweeted on Monday that the Rangers are still in on Fielder "hard," but that they're not going to give him too many years.

That makes sense. The Rangers just spent over $110 million to acquire Darvish, so asking them to make another huge financial commitment is asking a bit much.

Still, they have plenty of cash and they're attractive because they're a winning team, so they can't be counted out.

Washington Nationals

There was a report out on Sunday from Scott Swaim that the Nationals were going to sign Fielder to an eight-year contract. 

Needless to say, that report ended up being premature. 

But the Nationals are very much in the picture. According to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, the Nats are "still working" to sign Fielder. They remain in communication with Fielder's camp.

Earlier on Monday, Bob Nightengale of the USA Today tweeted that the Nats are a "finalist" for Fielder's services. 

That's all well and good, but it's fair to say that all of the teams still in the Fielder race are "finalists."