Face it, Brewers Fans: Boras is Right About Prince Fielder

The baseball All-Star break has started. You know what that means.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Baseball's All-Star Game isn't what it used to be. There is way too much showmanship before the start of the game, and it often runs past midnight in the Eastern time zone. I'm not one to use the tired "Kids can't watch the game!" line on the All-Star Game because I don't think there's any way to make kids care about such a spectacle.

The game itself is rarely newsworthy, unless something bad -- a tie, for example -- were to happen.

Instead, the news is often made off the field, as we usually get a lot of trade deadline banter, to go along with agents talking about how great their clients are.

One agent notorious for the latter is Scott Boras. The superagent is a master of manipulating teams in negotiations, and maximizing the return for his clients. There's a reason the top young prospects and established veterans all seemingly flock to Boras for representation.

He's good. That's why.

Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder is a Boras client. He's not an All-Star, but Boras is in Anaheim for the game Tuesday, and he spoke to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writer Tom Haudricourt Monday about the Brewers' efforts to re-sign Fielder.

Let's just say those efforts aren't going well.

Boras said he views Fielder as a “rare, rare commodity” for what the Brewers’ slugger accomplished by age 25. Fielder, who turned 26 in May, already has accumulated 181 home runs in 764 major-league games.

Every other player that has that by his age is a Hall of Famer,” said Boras, in attendance at the all-star interview sessions for players from both leagues.

The Brewers opened talks with Boras earlier this year on an extension for Fielder, who can be a free agent after the 2011 season. Word among agents attending the All-Star Game is that the Brewers made an initial offer of five years at just over $100 million.

Boras must have let the Brewers know that wouldn’t be nearly enough because talks broke off and nothing has happened for weeks. Boras declined to categorize the nature of those talks but made it clear that he considers Fielder a top-dollar player.

“We sat down and talked about exploratory elements of the process of free agency,” said Boras. “To suggest anyone is putting deadlines or timelines on it is wrong.

“With any slugger, three things are always certain. One is they are coveted. Two is they are either signed or subject to being traded. The third one is that regardless of where he’s at or will be, the rarity of their performance make them dramatically impactful to the system.

“Those number of players are less than 10 in baseball, from the offensive side, and Prince is one of them.”

Boras noted that Fielder is a more accomplished power hitter and younger than another of his clients, first baseman Mark Teixeira, who signed an eight-year, $180-million free-agent deal with the New York Yankees prior to the 2009 season.

“When you have a player that performs like Mark Teixeira, you have to look at Prince Fielder’s performance in comparison,” said Boras. “You want to know the value of a player? Take a look at it.

“Prince is a home-run hitter. He’s 70 home runs ahead of Teixeira at that point (of his career). Prince has much more power. This is how you (gauge) performance and age and production. You have to ask in the market place how many players can do this?”

This isn't a case involving a player who could be on the verge of a serious decline. People rag on Fielder for his weight, but the slugger continues to hit, he has plenty of power, he's still young, and there is no sign of his weight dragging him down. Despite the lines people try to feed you, he's not a butcher defensively, and he's not a cancer in the clubhouse.

Reality is that Fielder will deserve the payday he's going to get. He'll make sure he puts up the numbers to warrant it, and Boras will make damn sure he gets it.

That's what he does best.

And in this case, he should. Fielder is young enough that this might not be his only big payday, but you can't plan that way. The Brewers might be able to make a competitive offer, but it seems unlikely that they'll be able to keep Fielder if there is any interest in him on the open market.

Remember, it only takes one deep-pocketed team to break the bank on Fielder, and the Brewers are left with extra draft picks and a huge hole at first base.

What should they do?

Does general manager Doug Melvin just throw in the towel on this season, deal Fielder before July 31, and hope that the "under contract for next season" carrot is enough to inspire some serious offers?

Should he wait until the winter to deal him? There is a theory in baseball that position players get you more in return if you deal them during the offseason.

The other option is to wait until next summer. Of course, if the Brewers somehow become a contender, you can't go off trading your best player for -- at best -- sixty cents on the dollar. Then you're stuck getting nothing for him in free agency. That would go over like a lead balloon in Milwaukee.

The best option is probably to trade him this year, when you can sell teams on the idea of having him for the stretch run this year, and then the entire 2011 season. It's going to suck for the people of Milwaukee, and it might drive some fans to the newsstand to grab a football preview and read up on the Packers.

But it's best for the franchise. Look at other examples around sports. You can't just let prominent players walk as free agents with no compensation. If you do, it makes your franchise look worse than trading them ahead of time does.

McNabb Wants to Play For Vikings; Feeling Likely Not Mutual

It's seemed kind of silly to think that the Philadelphia Eagles would carry three pretty high-priced quarterbacks this season. Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb, and Michael Vick aren't cheap, and they can't all play, because of that whole "one football per play" rule we have in the sport.

With that in mind, there has been talk of a trade, probably involving the veteran McNabb. That would free Eagles coach Andy Reid to start Kolb and use Vick as a change-of-pace/wildcat/jack of all trades player, and he wouldn't have to have all three quarterbacks active to get that kind of use out of Vick.

So where would Philly trade McNabb? The obvious answer is "Somewhere in the AFC," so they wouldn't have to deal with him more than once every four years, or in the preseason when it doesn't count anyway, or in the Super Bowl.

That doesn't mean McNabb, who doesn't have a no-trade clause but should still wield some power over his destination, wants to go to the AFC.

Remember when the Packers traded Brett Favre? It wasn't just about getting Favre away from the Packers. It was a process that had to be somewhat respectful toward Favre, given his service time and the fact that he was a star player.

McNabb, according to a Philadelphia newspaper, wants to play for the Minnesota Vikings if he gets traded.

After Andy Reid announced Wednesday that the Eagles were "entertaining offers" for all three of their quarterbacks, McNabb reiterated that he wants to remain in Philadelphia. But if the team were to ship its franchise quarterback elsewhere, the Vikings would be his first choice, according to sources close to the situation.

Whoa.

Multiple thoughts on this:

• Is there a snowball's chance in hell the Eagles would trade him to a team already high among NFC playoff contenders?
• If so, why would the Vikings want him?
• Oh, yeah, what if Brett Favre retires? Hmm ... Tarvaris Jackson or Donovan McNabb? Let me think about that for 0.48 seconds.
• Can the Eagles afford to wait until Favre actually retires or doesn't retire?
• If Favre retires, the Vikings get McNabb, and then Favre unretires, what happens?

As you can see, there are multiple layers of manufactured drama that can come along with this story. The problem is that they're all manufactured, meaning they're fake. Not real.

Also not happening.

The Vikings aren't going to coerce Favre into a quick decision, either because they already know he's coming back and are trying to play coy with the world, or because they don't want to poke a sleeping bear and risk pissing him off and "forcing him into retirement" like the Packers did*.

(* - If you still blame this on Ted Thompson, you should be beaten with the stick the Packers allegedly poked the sleeping bear with.)

Even if Favre "made up his mind" and "retired," no one would believe him, and the Vikings would look stupid if they tried to "move on" after all the talk about letting Favre take his time.

In the end, Philadelphia is going to have to find a trade partner and talk McNabb into embracing the deal. There is no need for lingering bitterness here, and no reason to drag it out publicly. Find a team, talk to McNabb, and convince him to go there and work hard and be the face of that franchise. He's young enough that he can help a struggling team become successful again. He doesn't have to be dropped onto the roster of a contender because he's on his last legs.

For the Vikings, the thought of Brad Childress practically begging Favre for a quick decision is intriguing, but unrealistic. They've talked too good of a game lately about letting him take his time and doing what they did last year. Given the success of last year, no need to deviate from that plan now.

The Morning After: Thoughts on Brian Burke's Day of Dealing

In retrospect, Sunday wasn't the best day to virtually go into hiding. Instead of just letting the hockey world get by with one easy, news-free day, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke went crazy.

Saddled with a low-rung team in the Eastern Conference, Burke -- who famously stated he "wouldn't watch this again" after Toronto finished 12th in the East last year -- saw enough of mediocrity, and he attacked this team's biggest weakness.

In two moves, Burke performed a bigger shakeup than any we've seen on one day in the NHL in a long time, definitely since the salary cap came into play after the lockout.

Joining him in the "Enough is enough" line was Calgary Flames general manager Darryl Sutter.

Calgary trades defenseman Dion Phaneuf to Toronto in seven-player swap.

It was the first major deal announced Sunday, and it's definitely the biggest. Burke saw enough of his team not being tough enough in their own zone, and he dealt away forwards he wasn't likely to bring back next season, anyway.

Niklas Hagman and Matt Stajan are capable players, but they aren't superstars. It's clear that Burke thinks highly of youngster Tyler Bozak, and he already has his top scoring winger in Phil Kessel.

Impending free agent defenseman Ian White joins Hagman and Stajan in Calgary, as does veteran forward Jamal Mayers, who wanted out anyway, and he played like it Saturday against Vancouver, lazily playing defense on Daniel Sedin while the latter scored the game-winning goal.

While this looks like a good move for both teams, it's more intriguing for Calgary than it is good for Toronto.

The move keeps the Flames positioned as a strong defensive team. As Bob McKenzie notes, White is no slouch, even if he's not necessarily as well-known as Phaneuf. With that said, White is a free agent (restricted) after the season, so it's not a total lock he'll be back.

Stajan and Hagman upgrade the offense, giving them more depth across their lines, something they haven't had much of. It doesn't help them at all that Olli Jokinen hasn't fulfilled his potential there, and they haven't found anyone to center Jarome Iginla the way Mike Cammalleri did last year.

However, is this a move that sets up something potentially (much) bigger?

Last week, McKenzie noted that Calgary was potentially interested in Ilya Kovalchuk, a free-agent-to-be superstar in Atlanta. The Thrashers are trying desperately to re-sign Kovalchuk, but let's not be stupid. This is a long shot.

(Yes, McKenzie mentions Phaneuf in his report, but let's play along for a moment.)

It could be said he belongs somewhere that will take hockey seriously, instead of playing in front of third-full buildings (if that) in Atlanta. Of course, the Thrashers are improving, and they need Kovalchuk to be a part of the effort to make this franchise viable.

Either way, Atlanta has to trade him by March 3 if they can't re-sign him. It's either that or let his negotiating rights go for a draft pick after the Stanley Cup Finals. This is a much more attractive option, because it gives them a chance to pick up some talent in return.

Now, Calgary has some assets they could afford to flip for Kovalchuk, should they choose to be aggressive. The beauty of this is that Sutter can wait through nearly two more weeks of games to see how the new guys come along, and he can play around with numbers and trade possibilities during the two-week Olympic break before he has to make a decision.

Chances are Atlanta would want NHL-level players, a top prospect, and/or a draft pick for Kovalchuk. The draft pick is less valuable because you're dealing Kovalchuk to a contender, so the pick is in the bottom third of the first round.

Instead, Atlanta is better off taking players, even if they're guys like White and Dustin Boyd, who are RFAs after the season. You could envision the Flames flipping Hagman, who has two reasonably-priced years left on his deal, or Stajan, who would be reunited with former Leaf mates Nik Antropov and Pavel Kubina in Atlanta.

You can't replace guys like Kovalchuk, but the Thrashers have to get NHL value for him, as they are still in the thick of the East playoff race. With the break coming, it's unlikely Atlanta will fall off the map before the trade deadline.

Burke gets his big, bruising defenseman who has a big name. Phaneuf upgrades a bad defensive team, and he also brings the kind of edge that Burke loves. One thing that is driving Burke nuts is how easily his team gets pushed around, and he's been trying to change that for a while. The Mike Komisarek signing backfired because of injury, and holdover Jeff Finger hasn't been very good this year.

Short-term, the Leafs win. They make a big splash when Burke needed to shake things up, and he gets a long-term solution in Phaneuf -- who's only 24, by the way -- in exchange for three impending free agents and Hagman.

Oh, and Burke also got the best young player in the deal, because he wrestled prospect defenseman Keith Aulie from the Flames, too.

Sutter's team was short on scoring and depth, and he actually looks like the more desperate guy in the deal, giving up two big young blue-liners for a guys who might not be around past this spring.

Anaheim swaps Jean-Sebastien Giguere for Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala from Toronto.

This is much simpler. Giguere needs to get his mojo back if he is ever going to come close to justifying his huge contract. This move reunites him with Burke and Francois Allaire, Giguere's longtime goaltending coach.

He wasn't going to play much in Anaheim, as the Ducks had just made a four-year, multi-million dollar deal with Jonas Hiller. He is their guy moving forward, and Giguere had to go.

Burke, meanwhile, was tired of watching Toskala look fantastic one night and incompetent the next. Now, youngster Jonas Gustavsson gets a high-quality on-ice mentor in Giguere, and the Leafs get a guy who is actually capable of being a No. 1 goaltender. This is a no-lose for both sides.

Blake wasn't exactly lighting it up in Toronto, with ten goals and 26 points in 56 games. Now he gets a change of scenery, and he joins a forward group in Anaheim that includes tough veterans like Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne.

The Ducks get future cap flexibility, and they rid themselves of a $7 million backup goalie. Good deal for them. Having to take on Toskala's salary is a small price for shipping Giguere north.

It was a big Sunday for the Maple Leafs, who might be in last place in the Eastern Conference, but they're still not dead, and now they get a chance to prove that.

One thing is certain: If they continue to play like they've been, Burke will find more deals to make before the March 3 deadline. He's not really good at "standing pat" or "being patient."

NHL Free Agency is On

With free agency underway in the NHL, I will be very busy trying to make sure the latest news is covered for FanHouse.

Since that will be going on, updates to this blog may be a bit tougher to come by. Here are some links to keep up to date on the latest hockey news.

Bruce Ciskie on Facebook
Bruce Ciskie on Twitter
NHL FanHouse
FanHouse on Facebook
NHL FanHouse on Twitter

Also, you can check out the NHL FanHouse Free Agent Tracker for the latest up-to-date news on signings.

If that's not enough, we're hosting a chat at 10am, one hour before free agency starts.

It's summer, but what a great day for hockey!

Heatley Wants Trade ... Just Not to Oilers

If a player wants a trade, can the player really choose where he gets traded?

Evidently, Dany Heatley thinks so.

Heatley has requested a trade from the Ottawa Senators. Grumblings have him and head coach Cory Clouston not getting along very well.

I have never begrudged an athlete for wanting a trade, as long as they're respectful about it. Sometimes, life in a certain city or with a certain coach just isn't what you thought you were signing up for.

Heatley's case is interesting, because he signed a contract just a year ago that includes a no-trade clause, and now he wants to be traded. Oh, and he carries a $7.5 million cap number wherever he goes.

Anyway, Heatley was presented with an offer by the Senators to trade him to Edmonton Tuesday night. Since he -- you know -- wants to be traded, why would anyone think he is going to reject that offer?

He rejected it.

On the bright side, it's not a flat-out rejection. Instead, Heatley is going to "sleep on it", meaning he could wake up this morning and say he's okay going to Edmonton.

I bet Edmonton will just love that.

Like I already said, I don't begrudge Heatley for wanting a trade. The Senators changed coaches twice in the last 12 months, and that can be a lot to go through. The system and the locker-room atmosphere -- important to most everyone who plays in the NHL -- have been almost totally overhauled, and Ottawa's in a position to get even younger than they already are.

However, once Heatley asked for a trade and let the word out like he did, he effectively ruined Ottawa's leverage. After they got a pretty decent offer from Edmonton (Andrew Cogliano is the centerpiece of this deal, but Ladislav Smid is young and still carries plenty of potential on the blue line), having Heatley pull this stunt only throws a monkey wrench into the Senators' rebuilding plans.

If Heatley is going to insist on a trade to either the Rangers or Kings (teams thought to be in play for him), the Senators must stand firm. If their best offer truly is from Edmonton, then that's the only trade Bryan Murray can allow to happen. Yes, it sucks to pay the guy a $4 million bonus if he's still on the roster at the end of the day.

But you signed that deal, and this is the only way to go. You can't let a guy get what he wants when it has the potential to cause serious damage to your own team.

WOLVES, BUCKS WHEEL AND DEAL

The NBA Draft is Thursday night.

WHO'S EXCITED?

(/crickets)

The Bucks and Timberwolves have apparently decided that they're not going to just sit around and suck anymore. They're making some moves aimed at getting the teams to be better.

Well, in the Bucks' case, sucking for one more year is tolerable, but they appear set to embark on the road to an NBA title in 2010. Either that, or they think they can sign LeBron when he goes free agent that summer.

Milwaukee traded Richard Jefferson -- a rare good player for them -- and got very, very little in return.

A high-ranking Bucks source has confirmed the team has traded forward Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs for forwards Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto.

Ouch. Bowen is 37 and suffers from DSS (Diminishing Skills Syndrome). It's doubtful that he'll make a big impact on the 2009 Bucks.

Jefferson, meanwhile, still has plenty of hop left in his legs, and he could become a key piece of a restructured Spurs team.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have evidently decided that three first-round picks just won't get the job done. Perhaps new general manager David Kahn won't rest until he has all 30 first-rounders.

SI.com just reported what I’ve been working for the last 30 minutes to confirm: The Wolves and Wizards have struck a deal that will bring the No. 5 pick, Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov to Minnesota for Randy Foye and Mike Miller.

This is an interesting deal. Miller did virtually nothing in his one Minnesota season, while Foye has been a disappointment since the Wolves drafted him drafted Brandon Roy and traded him for Foye.

(No wonder McHale got fired.)

If Kahn wants, he can move up for Ricky Rubio. If Kahn wants, he can take some extra picks and stock the bench with promising young talent. The new guy has the world at his fingertips now.

REPORT: SABATHIA TO THE BREWERS

A doff of the cap to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt, who has been all over the trade rumors in Milwaukee.

His latest update? It's a rumor no more. Now, it's a done deal, and the Brewers have added a significant chip in their quest for an end to their 26-year playoff drought.

C.C. Sabathia is headed to Milwaukee, pending all the formal paperwork and physicals and such.

I didn't start to follow the Brewers closely until 1985 or so, as the local media coverage in Duluth/Superior was pretty scarce. In 1987, the Brewers finally landed a local radio deal, which gave me the chance to do what a bunch of kids were already doing for Twins games. That, of course, was to have the little portable radio under the pillow so I could listen to games. Man, was it fun doing that!

23 years later, my team is finally a player on the trade market. They are a buyer. Or, more specifically in this case, they're a renter. Sabathia is a free agent after the season, and there's virtually no chance Milwaukee will pony up the $20 million per season it will cost to sign him. Instead, it appears the Brewers will load up on early picks in next June's draft, hoping to continue to keep stocked one of baseball's best farm systems.

Considering how many teams mortgage the future to make deals like this for rental players, the Brewers give up virtually nothing. Yes, Matt LaPorta is a top prospect, and rightfully so (dude can hit), but he's one of a load of All-Star minor-leaguers in the Brewers' system, and with (potentially) five of the top 35 picks next June, the Brewers aren't mortgaging the future. Not in the least.

Instead, they're using one of their great assets to take a shot at a pennant in 2008. Look at how strong the Brewers are at the top of their rotation (Sheets-Sabathia-Parra) and tell me this isn't realistic.

It absolutely is. And it's refreshing to see a general manager (Doug Melvin) and an owner (Mark Attanasio) who are willing to go for it.

The Brewers won big today, taking the lead in the National League Wild Card race. Ryan Braun was announced as a starter for the NL All-Star team. And C.C. Sabathia is becoming a Brewer, even if only for a few months.

Bad things aren't the only things that happen in threes.

BREWERS LOOKING AT SABATHIA

A couple weeks ago, ESPN's Buster Olney told the Baseball Tonight audience that the Milwaukee Brewers would be a contender to trade for Cleveland left-hander and reigning AL Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia.

I laughed. My wife looked at me, and I said "No way we trade for a guy who we can't sign".

In my heart of hearts, I thought I was right. However, this is where I can sometimes get burned for spending no time whatsoever following the Brewers' minor-league system.

See, the Brewers' Double-A team in Huntsville is very good. So good that they had eight guys picked for the Southern League All-Star Game. And with that information as a backdrop, you can understand why Milwaukee appears to be taking their best shot at Sabathia.

Tom Haudricourt lays out the rest of the case, beyond the superb minor-league system.

The Brewers lost young right-hander Yovani Gallardo for the season with a knee injury on May 1, a devastating blow to their starting rotation. With right-hander Ben Sheets headed for free agency after the season and the future of first baseman Prince Fielder uncertain, the Brewers aren't guaranteed of being in this position a year from now. That situation heightened the urgency to find an established starting pitcher who might put them over the top, and they immediately targeted Sabathia.

Meanwhile, Buster Olney of ESPN.com explains why you make this deal, citing the Brewers' outstanding scouting and player development system.

The Brewers are a mid-market team that must rely on its player development to compete, so trading a star prospect like LaPorta would be a major sacrifice. However, rival officials note that the Brewers have an excellent track record in scouting and drafting and got a boatload of picks in the recent June draft. And if Milwaukee were to deal for Sabathia and then see him walk away as a free agent at year's end, along with Sheets, the Brewers likely would receive four compensation draft picks. "You might see them have five picks among the first 35 in the draft," said an NL official.

Wait. You mean we can take a shot at the World Series with two dominant starters, then give universally respected scouting director Jack Zduriencik five of the first 35 picks in next June's draft?

I'm sold. Let's go for it.

It's been 26 years for the Brewers. With Ben Sheets likely set to walk after the season, there's no harm in adding another pitcher who will also walk. Let Manny Parra, Jeff Suppan, and (gulp) Dave Bush or Seth McClung finish off the rotation. Besides Parra, the only pitcher in need of developmental time at the big-league level is Yovani Gallardo, and he looked very good before he was injured and lost for the season a month in. So you're not costing yourself any time that could be spent developing other players. Let Sheets and Sabathia anchor the starting rotation, and carry us as far as we can go.

Maybe, if we get this pitching staff to a certain level, it will be impossible for Ned Yost to screw it up.