Prince Fielder

According to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, Prince Fielder will be the Tigers’ starting first baseman.

That means that Miguel Cabrera is going to have to change roles, moving either to third base or left field. Fielder has never been a great defensive first baseman, but likely asked if he could remain at the position when agreeing to his nine-year, $214 million contract. He’ll surely DH near the end of the deal.

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that the Tigers have signed Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million deal.

Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports first mentioned the possibility less than 10 minutes ago, and now it has become official: Fielder is going to Detroit, the same place his father Cecil spent seven years of his career. The 27-year-old slugger should shine bright for the Tigers, more than making up for the production lost by Victor Martinez’s knee injury in 2012 and helping the team remain in the rung of American League contenders for years to come. Fielder owns a .929 career OPS. He batted .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last season for the Brewers.

Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports reports that Prince Fielder is close to a nine-year deal with the Tigers.

A shocking, under-the-radar play by Detroit. At last check, the Nationals were the only team still involved in the Fielder sweepstakes and weren’t willing to go beyond seven years. But you can never count out super agent Scott Boras. More information should pour in throughout the afternoon and evening. Fielder will presumably DH for the Tigers, filling the immediate vacancy left by Victor Martinez’s ACL injury.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that the Orioles and Marlins are “not in the mix” for Prince Fielder.

The Marlins have been out for a while, and the Orioles were unable to pull together enough funds to be competitive in the bidding process. The Rangers are also out of the mix, leaving the Nationals as the likeliest landing spot. Fielder is expected to make a decision very soon. The 27-year-old first baseman owns a .929 career OPS and batted .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last season for the Brewers.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Rangers “believe they are out of the bidding” for Prince Fielder.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post was told by one Nationals’ person that he would be “stunned” if the team signed Prince Fielder to a contract longer than seven years.

According to MASN’s Jen Royle, Orioles management has been trying to lure money out of owner Peter Angelos for a run at free agent first baseman Prince Fielder.

Royle says Orioles manager Buck Showalter met with Angelos late last week and flat-out “asked for money.” It’s not known how Angelos responded. Fielder’s market is beginning to pick up with the countdown to spring training reaching less than 30 days. The 27-year-old slugger owns a .929 career OPS and batted .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last season for the Brewers. He’s also drawing interest from the Nationals, Rangers and Dodgers.

According to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio, the Nationals are working on a contract for free agent first baseman Prince Fielder.

Sunday’s speculation that the Dodgers could get involved in the bidding might have provided the necessary impetus for the Nationals’ decision-makers. The Rangers also remain a darkhorse candidate. Fielder, 27, owns a .929 career OPS and batted .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last season for the Brewers. With spring training opening in less than a month, it’s closing in on crunch time.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post says there were a “surprising number of execs” he spoke to at the BBWAA dinner Saturday that believe the Dodgers “will ultimately be in play” for Prince Fielder.

If it were next offseason and their ownership issue was resolved, the Dodgers almost certainly would be big players for the first baseman. It’s hard to believe right now they could put together the resources to make something happen, but perhaps we can’t rule them out. Most view the Nationals as the favorites to sign Fielder, with the Rangers lurking.