False reports of Prince Fielder signing with the Nationals surface
Earlier tonight, a Twitter account called MLBInsideNews tweeted that the Nationals had signed free agent first baseman Prince Fielder to an 8-year deal with an opt out clause after 3 years. Another tweet came out that Fielder had agreed to a deal with the Rangers. Former Nats GM Jim Bowden tweeted the following 2 hours later:
The Nationals continue to work on a deal for Prince Fielder...BUT THERE IS NO DEAL repeat NO DEAL as of tonight according to sources
According to multiple sources the Nationals and Prince Fielder are working towards a deal but DO NOT have a deal at this time.... stay tuned
Follow the link above to Bowden's Twitter profile and follow the updates as they happen.
Fielder, 27, has spent the entirety of his 7-year career with the Brewers, and there’s a reason he’s been so coveted this offseason—not including 2005 in which he only played 39 games, Prince has averaged 160 games, .282 batting, .391 OBP, and 38 home runs. He’s a 3-time All-Star, 2-time Silver Slugger (and remember, he’s been competing for the National League’s best first baseman title with Albert Pujols for all this time) and has finished in the MVP voting 4 times, including 3rd-place finishes in ‘07 and ‘11. He has hit 50 home runs in a season (‘07) and has played in all 162 games twice (‘09 and ‘11).
