GM Meetings Update: Brewers Not Likely to Part Ways with Fielder

DANA POINT, Ca. - The Brewers will not rule out a trade of first baseman Prince Fielder, but such a deal is highly unlikely for two reasons:

- Fielder not only is the team's only left-handed hitting regular, but also their only remaining left-handed hitting position player now that Craig Counsell, Ray Durham and Russell Branyan are free agents.

- The losses of Fielder and free-agent pitchers CC Sabathia and right-hander Ben Sheets in one offseason would be too damaging from a public-relations standpoint, particularly when the Brewers are coming off their first postseason appearance in 26 years.

Fielder stands to make at least $7.5 million in his first year of salary arbitration, but the elimination of both Sheets' $11 million salary and the prorated portion of Sabathia's $9 million salary will create significant payroll flexibility. So would a trade of shortstop J.J. Hardy, whose salary figures rise from $2.65 million to at least $4 million in arbitration.

Brewers officials are reluctant to trade either Hardy or his projected replacement, Alcides Escobar. One solution would be to move Hardy to second base and trade Rickie Weeks, but Hardy has more value than Weeks and possibly could bring a starting pitcher in return.

Peavy: a three-way solution?

The best guess on Jake Peavy is that the Padres eventually will trade him to the Braves, who appear to be the most attractive suitor of Peavy's preferred teams. But the Padres could try to expand the discussions, instructing the Cubs or another club to acquire additional prospects from a third team to help complete the trade.

The Cubs seemingly lack the inventory to make such a deal work, but the Padres might need to turn creative if the Braves balk at their price. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti all but acknowledged that he is unlikely to acquire Peavy from a division rival, and two of Peavy's other preferred clubs — the Cardinals and Astros — are not factors in the discussions.

Peavy has the right to veto any trade, and Padres GM Kevin Towers acknowledged that the pitcher still could be the team's Opening Day starter. Such a scenario, however, is unlikely. The Padres want to purge the remaining four years and $63 million remaining on Peavy's contract.

Et tu, Kerry?

While the loss of free-agent right-hander Ryan Dempster would force the Cubs to obtain another starting pitcher, the loss of free-agent closer Kerry Wood might be less of a blow.

The Cubs can replace Wood, 31, with Carlos Marmol, who is five years younger, healthier and possibly even better. Jeff Szamardzija and Kevin Hart would be among the internal possibilities to replace Marmol, and the team always could dip into the free-agent market for setup help.

One way or another, the Cubs are going to need to spend on pitching, either by re-signing Dempster and Wood or by replacing them. Thus, they might be unable to afford free-agent outfielder Bobby Abreu, who earned $16 million last season.

Marlins' Olsen: A pitcher of interest

The Marlins are already receiving significant trade interest in left-hander Scott Olsen, who pitched 201 2/3 innings last season while going 8-11 with a 4.20 ERA.

While the Marlins could wait until the top free-agent starting pitchers sign with new clubs before moving Olsen, their front office repeatedly has demonstrated that they are open for business at any time.

Without Olsen, the team's rotation next season would include right-handers Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad and lefty Andrew Miller. By giving up three years of control on Olsen, the Marlins likely could get a decent return from a team such as the Rangers, who are deep in prospects and forever in search of quality young pitching. The Marlins are interested in Rangers catcher Max Ramirez, according to one major-league source.

Pitching coach shuffle

The Rangers made Mike Maddux one of the game's highest-paid pitching coaches, luring him away from the Brewers with a two-year contract that is worth at least $500,000 per season and includes a club option for a third year, major-league sources say.

The Brewers offered Maddux a two-year deal worth $450,000 per season to remain in Milwaukee, according to one source. Bill Castro, the team's bullpen coach for the past 16 years, will be given the first chance to interview for Maddux's job with new manager Ken Macha.

Former Tigers pitching coach Chuck Hernandez also is under consideration, but surprisingly, former A's and Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson is not. Peterson, who worked previously with Macha on the A's coaching staff, was the runner-up to Maddux in Texas.

The hiring of Maddux is another example of the growing influence of Rangers president Nolan Ryan. Maddux was the pitching coach for the Astros' Double-A Round Rock affiliate — a team owned by Ryan — from 2000 to '02.

Earlier this offseason, the Rangers hired former Round Rock manager Jackie Moore to be their bench coach under manager Ron Washington.

Around the horn

The Blue Jays are set to meet Tuesday afternoon with the agents for right-hander A.J. Burnett. Barring what one source described as an "incredibly crazy" offer, Burnett is expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent. The Jays are unlikely to make such an offer, and would face the possible loss of Burnett to the rival Red Sox or Yankees on the open market. ...

Add left-hander Joe Beimel to the list of free-agent relievers on the Mets' wish list. The team also is expected to investigate free-agent closers Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes and Kerry Wood, and will examine trades and internal solutions while reconstructing its bullpen. As for position players, the Mets maintain interest in outfielder Raul Ibanez, whom they tried to acquire last July and now can sign as a free agent. ...

The Cardinals can envision a future outfield of Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel and Colby Rasmus — and they also can envision trading one of the three, perhaps the center fielder Ankiel, to fill a specific need or needs. The shortage of quality center fielders is one reason the Brewers exercised Mike Cameron's $10 million option. Ankiel, 29, has hit 36 home runs in 585 at-bats over the past two seasons, but Rasmus also plays center. ...

Free-agent infielder David Eckstein is making it known that he wants to play second base next season. Though his sample size at second last season consisted of only 197 innings, Eckstein performed better at the position than he did at shortstop for the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks.

According to the plus-minus ratings on Bill James Online, Eckstein made two more plays at second than the average fielder at the position and 12 fewer plays than the average shortstop. ...

Former Mariners VP Benny Looper and former Pirates and Dodgers exec Roy Smith both could draw strong consideration as new Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. seeks to round out his front office. The Phillies need to replace Mike Arbuckle, who resigned when Amaro was named GM over him. Arbuckle could resurface with the Royals. ...

The Phillies will consider a number of options if they decline to re-sign free-agent left fielder Pat Burrell, but a trade for the Rockies' Matt Holliday probably is a long shot. The Rockies almost certainly would want center fielder Shane Victorino in any package for Holliday, and the Phillies aren't about to trade a player as valuable as Victorino for a one-year rental of Holliday. ...

Read into this what you will: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, asked to list his team's offseason priorities, mentioned the left side of the infield, the bullpen and starting pitching, in no particular order.

Informed that he had failed to mention a certain power-hitting left fielder, Colletti said, "You could add that, absolutely." ...

Scratch the Cardinals and Nationals from the A.J. Burnett sweepstakes. The Cardinals, after re-signing right-hander Kyle Lohse, are more likely to pursue a short-term veteran, particularly if they are confident that right-hander Chris Carpenter will recover from nerve damage in his neck and shoulder. The Nationals, like many clubs, view Burnett as a physical risk, and their greater priority is a slugger who also is strong defensively — ideally, a Mark Teixeira type, as opposed to an Adam Dunn. Of course, it's doubtful the Nats could land either. ...

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

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