Trade Fielder? Yes, I Would

The headlines blared here in Milwaukee on Monday. The New York Post reported the Brewers had let teams know they would be willing to listen to offers for Prince Fielder.

Reaction here was mixed. Some fans thought the Brewers were nuts to consider trading one of their cornerstone players. Some fans thought trading Prince would be the prudent thing to do. You can count me among those fans.

Let's face it. CC Sabathia can talk a good game, and Ben Sheets can cry in the locker room that he wants to remain here in Milwaukee, but when they get better offers (uh, in other words, MORE MONEY), they are gone.

How do you replace them? Well, Yovanni Gallardo's a good start, but the Brewers need to go outside the organization to get that second stud pitcher. You know, the one they don't have right now.

The free agent class appears to be somewhat weak, and that's why the Brewers are playing the trade card. Dangle a guy like Fielder out there, and you never know what teams will do. Would I be stunned if the Yankees decide to bite, and maybe even part with a Phillip Hughes or Ian Kennedy? No I wouldn't

More likely, if the Brewers make a deal involving Fielder, it will be with a team we were not talking about, and for a pitcher we never would have expected to come to Milwaukee.

But, make no mistake. I believe the time to trade Fielder is this off-season. His value might not get any higher than it is right now.

If he doesn't start taking care of his weight, he is going to become an AL DH before his time. He's already on his way there, considering the amount of errors he committed this past season.

He also has Scott Boras as an agent, which is the real reason the Brewers want to trade Fielder. He has moaned and groaned about money for two seasons now, and he just turned down a five year deal worth sixty million dollars. The Brewers were ready to make him the highest paid player inf franchise history, but apparently it wasn't enough for Fielder (or more likely Boras).

How do you replace Fielder? The Brewers have options including free agency (Doug Mientkiewicz), and in-house (Corey Hart or young Brad Nelson).

Here's the bottom line. It's easier to replace a first baseman than it is to replace two stud pitchers, which is why Fielder finds himself on the block as we speak.