The Texas Rangers are reportedly meeting with Prince Fielder in Dallas to discuss a free agent contract. USA Today is reporting that the meeting took place on Friday (Jan. 13) and that it could show that the Rangers have become one of the front-runners to sign Fielder. It certainly seems like a possibility with the money that the franchise has, but many believe it all comes down to whether or not Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish decides to agree to a contract with the team before Jan. 18.
The Rangers are the two-time defending American League champs, though the team did come up short in the World Series against the San Francisco Giants in 2010 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. Still, the team seems primed to make another run at the title in 2012, and adding someone like Fielder to an already potent lineup could make this one of the scariest teams in baseball for pitchers to face. Fielder is coming off a season where he is .299 with 38 home runs and had 120 RBIs for the Milwaukee Brewers, but those numbers could get even better in the AL.
Of all the teams linked to Fielder this offseason, including the Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs, Texas has always seemed like the best fit for him. He could go right into the middle of the lineup, assume the starting position at first base and eventually transition to a designated hitter later in the contract. It would also give him the opportunity to play for a winning team right now and not wait for a rebuilding process that would have to take place in Seattle, Washington or Chicago.
The real question is whether Texas can put up the money that Fielder and agent Scott Boras want to see in his new contract. If the team fails to sign Darvish it will have much more money to offer Fielder, but signing Darvish might force the team to look for a cheaper option at first base. This is something that Boras certainly knows and he may just have told Fielder to wait until the situation gets resolved in Texas.
Rangers fans shouldn't get too excited by this meeting just yet, because he could just have accepted the meeting to see what the offer is from Texas. Still, getting a meeting with a free agent like Fielder is the first step to signing him, even if it is a tactic by Boras to get the other franchises to offer more money. Either way, this situation is one that has to get paid attention to over the next few days.
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*Ryan is a lifelong baseball fan that has attended games all across the nation. From The Kingdome to Busch Stadium to AT&T Park, he loves exploring the ballparks and watching the game in all its glory. He is also a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network.
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