MLB Free Agents 2012: Mariners a Bad Fit for Prince Fielder

Now that Albert Pujols is off the market, the focus is on where Prince Fielder will go next.

That's a good question. The Chicago Cubs have long been rumored to be a fit for Fielder, and they do have the cash to make it happen. The Miami Marlins were in the mix for Fielder for a little while, but FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted earlier on Thursday that the Marlins are not and will not be in on Fielder.

One of the other teams in the mix is the Seattle Mariners. Per FOX Sports' Jon Morosi (via Twitter), they're quite serious about signing Fielder.

Yes, but do the Mariners have the money? Furthermore, is Seattle a good market for Fielder to play in?

Scott Boras, Fielder's agent, seems to think so. According to The Seattle Times, Boras had nothing but nice things to say about Seattle when he spoke at baseball's winter meetings:

"

Seattle is a place where they've drawn 3.5 million fans. They're a proven market. Their TV ratings per household are one of the highest in Major League Baseball. They're a franchise that, if they are successful, their fans really support the team.

It's that iconic dynamic that we talk about with those franchise players where a competitive team can mean an additional million fans.

"

Put simply, Boras thinks Seattle is big enough for Fielder. The Mariners will have to pony up a lot of cash to get him, but they'll be able to afford it once the fans start pouring in.

So financially, going to Seattle works.

It's just too bad it wouldn't work from a baseball perspective.

Listen, as great of a hitter as Fielder is, playing in Seattle offers two key disadvantages.

The first is Safeco Field itself, which is not a good hitters' park, particularly when it comes to home runs. A lot of balls that look to be home runs fall on the warning track, which makes it considerably different from Miller Park. Fielder is used to seeing balls fly over the fence, and that won't be the case in Seattle.

The other thing that Fielder should be worried about is who is going to protect him in Seattle's lineup. The Mariners finished dead last in runs scored in 2011, and it was no accident. Their lineup is very thin. It has some good hitters in it (Ichiro, Dustin Ackley), but none that can protect Fielder.

The other thing to keep in mind is that we've seen big-name sluggers flop in Seattle before. Playing in Seattle proved to be the death of Richie Sexson's career, and it nearly proved to be the death of Adrian Beltre's career as well.

Fielder certainly could be an exception, but he'd be risking a lot by going to Seattle. He would have to ask himself if it's really worth the cash.

Then again, isn't it always worth the cash?