MLB Free Agents 2012: Prince Fielder and These Players Who Will Get Paid

Now that we are in the final series of the Major League Baseball season, we are getting closer to free agency.

Yes, free agency—the time when teams can throw millions upon millions of dollars at one player in hopes that he is the missing piece to their championship puzzle.  

This upcoming free agency period, there are five players who will break the bank with their new contracts.  

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts, here are those players who will help whoever they sign with reach that championship level.

Prince Fielder: First Baseman 

Prince will command the highest contract for position players in this offseason. He’s going to be 28 in the 2012 season, so he’s just entering into the prime of his career.

Whichever team is able to land the slugger is getting a player fresh off of a season with 38 home runs, 120 RBI and a .415 on-base percentage.  

He’s going to command a contract in the 8-10 year range worth $10-15 million per year. 

Albert Pujols: First Baseman 

Just like Prince, Albert is going to command a high salary for whichever team happens to sign him.

However, Albert will sign for less than Prince, because Albert is older (32 years old when the 2012 season comes around) and has dealt with injuries this year.  

For the year, he’s had another typical Pujols year, as in he had 37 home runs, 99 RBI and a .366 on-base percentage.  

He’ll sign for a huge contract, whether that is with the St. Louis Cardinals or another team, but it won’t be for as much or longer than the Fielder contract—somewhere in the 5-8 year range for $8-10 million per year. 

C.J. Wilson: Starting Pitcher 

C.J. is going to be the highest paid non-positional player—as in, unless C.C. Sabathia opts out of his contact with the Yankees, Wilson will command the highest dollar amount.  

What’s going to make C.J. the richest pitcher in this offseason is that he’s left-handed, will be 31 at the beginning of the 2012 season, had a 16-7 record last year, commanded a 2.94 ERA and had 206 strike outs—all the while playing in the very hitter-friendly ballpark in Arlington.  

He’ll sign with a team like the Yankees or maybe re-sign with the Rangers, but it will cost them anywhere in the 5-8 years for $10-12 million per year range. 

Jose Reyes: Shortstop  

Reyes is the best shortstop on the free agent market.

He’s had some injuries slow down the speedy shortstop, but that didn’t hurt Reyes from having a good year this year, hitting a .337 batting average with 39 stolen bases and a .877 on-base plus slugging percentage. 

He will turn 29 during the 2012 season, which means there is still a lot of baseball left in his career. But, with his past with injuries, it will cut into his max earnings. 

He’ll get anywhere between 5-8 years for $6-8 million per year. 

Heath Bell: Closer 

Heath will get paid the most for his position. He was one of the best closers in the league last year while playing on an awful San Diego Padres team.  

He will be turning 35 toward the end of the 2012 season, so his years shouldn’t be too high on his new contract. But, the amount will defiantly cut into whichever team happens to sign him.  

He’ll get anywhere between 1-3 years for $8-10 million per year. 

That’s just five players from a crop of free agents that will hit the market in the offseason. Hopefully your team will have a chance to sign one (if not two) of those players. 

Twitter: @tjmcaloon