Prince Fielder Rumors: Texas Rangers Should Not Enter Bidding War for Star 1B

To say that the Texas Rangers have suffered this offseason would be an understatement. That is why it would make perfect sense for them to get in on the bidding for Prince Fielder, who is the best hitter remaining on the market.

According to a report by George King of the New York Post, the Rangers are expected to take a run at Fielder now that they have seen their division rivals in Los Angeles sign Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. 

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One NL executive said he heard the Rangers were looking to sign free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder and deal first baseman Mitch Moreland to the Rays for pitcher Wade Davis in the wake of Pujols going to an AL West rival.

However, a person with knowledge of the Rangers’ plans said those scenarios weren’t close to materializing.

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The Rangers are doing their due diligence by reportedly taking a run at Fielder, but it would be unwise for them to get involved in some kind of bidding war with the Mariners or any other team that might be interested in his services. 

Fielder is a great player, he is entering his peak years and Scott Boras is his agent, which means that he is not going to sign until every team has a chance to make a nine-figure offer. And he is going to take the highest one. 

I don't say that in a condescending way, either. He has earned that right because he is a free agent.

But the Rangers have to look beyond their possible short-term losses and think about the future. A bidding war for Fielder will only increase his price—both in years and dollars—and he is not a player that is likely to age well. 

If the Rangers were able to offer Fielder a five-year contract for more average annual money than someone else offering an eight-year contract, there is a chance they could get him. 

But there is no reason that they should try to offer more years and dollars to sign him just to make sure that they make a splash to counteract what the Angels have done. 

We still don't know if the Rangers have actually made Fielder an offer, so all of this is hypothetical. But panic leads to irrational moves, which leads to bad contracts.

This franchise has enough depth to overcome the moves that the Angels have made and remain competitive in the AL West and/or Wild Card. 

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