Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez may be able to return to the team before the end of the season, according to Tom Gage of the Detroit News.

New hope from #Tigers for Victor Martinez to return late this season – didn’t need ACL reconstruction – won’t know until July, though

— Tom Gage (@Tom_Gage) April 11, 2012

It had previously been believed that Martinez, 33, would be forced to miss the entirety of 2012 after he tore his left ACL during offseason conditioning in January. Recent reports indicate, however, that Martinez did not need a complete ACL restriction, which could allow him to return to the club late this season.

Martinez hit .330/.380/.470 with 12 home runs and 103 RBI last year in his first season with the Tigers. The four-time All-Star’s absence is believed to be part of the reason Detroit made the push to sign slugger Prince Fielder  this offseason, despite the presence of Miguel Cabrera.

With the acquisition of Fielder, the Tigers opted to move Cabrera across the diamond to third base in order to keep the designated hitter position vacant upon Martinez’s return.

Cecil Fielder was shocked to find out that his son, Prince Fielder, followed in his footsteps and signed with the Detroit Tigers, reports The Huffington Post.

“That just shocked me. I just landed in New York and I got that call — that’s crazy! He’s going to come full circle,” Cecil said in an interview with MLB Radio, as transcribed by the Huffington Post. “You know, he’s been there in Detroit most of his young life, so I think he’ll be comfortable in that place.”

Cecil played for Detroit from 1990 to 1996 making three All-Star games and earning two Silver Slugger Awards. Although, his relationship with his son is not perfect, Cecil said he is proud of Prince and believes that Detroit will be a great place for him.

“This is Prince’s deal, he’s the one who did this. It ain’t me,” he said MLB radio. “Today is Prince’s day and I’m going to let him enjoy his day.”

Miguel Cabrera was consulted by the Detroit Tigers before the team made the move today to sign fellow first-baseman Miguel Cabrera, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com.

Source says #Tigers approached Miguel Cabrera about Prince Fielder move. He was on board with it. So no Hanley comparisons, please.

—
Jason Beck (@beckjason) January 24, 2012

Cabrera, currently the Tigers first baseman, finished fifth in the American League Most Valuable Player voting this season after hitting .344/.448/.586 with 30 home runs and 105 RBI. His batting average and on base percentage were good enough to lead the American League in 2011. In 2010, he led the league in RBI with 126.

Despite his powerful presence the Tigers made the move to sign fellow slugger Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million deal today. While one of the two powerhouse sluggers can play designated hitter in 2012, one of them will likely have to change positions in 2013 after Victor Martinez returns from a torn ACL.

Update – 3:07: CBS Sports reports that the Detroit Tigers have agreed to terms with Prince Fielder on a nine-year deal worth $214 million. The deal is pending a physical.

ESPN and USA Today have both confirmed the terms of the contract.

Original – 2:58: Free-agent Prince Fielder is reportedly nearing a nine-year-deal with the Detroit Tigers, according to a tweet from Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports.

Source: Prince is very close to a nine-year contract with the Detroit Tigers, according to sources.

—
Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) January 24, 2012

Until now the Tigers had not been considered a candidate in the Fielder sweepstakes. It was previously believed that the top remaining teams in the race for the All-Star first baseman’s services were the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners.

The Tigers currently boast one of the best hitting first baseman in baseball, Miguel Cabrera, but have a vacancy at designated hitter after an ACL injury has forced Victor Martinez out for the entirety of 2011.

Fielder, the game’s top remaining free-agent, hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

Some members of the Washington Nationals ownership would prefer that the team pass on free-agent Prince Fielder in order to focus on getting an everyday center fielder next season, sources have told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Currently the Nationals are considered one of the favorites to land the All-Star slugger, however despite weeks of negotiations no deal has yet been made between the two sides. The team currently has Adam LaRoche under contract to play first base in 2012, and according to Rosenthal, some in the ownership group would like to keep him there this season and move Michael Morse to first base in 2013. This would create an opening in the outfield for the team to bring in an everyday center fielder next season.

The Nationals have been attempting to acquire a player who can play centerfield every day for the past several seasons but have not been able to complete a deal. B.J. Upton, a player who the team has targeted to acquire via trade several times in the past, is slotted to be a free-agent following this season and could be a potential fit in Washington. Michael Bourn, Shane Victorino, Torii Hunter, and Josh Hamilton are other potential outfielders who could be available in 2013.

Fielder, the game’s top remaining free-agent, hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

The Rangers are still in the mix for free-agent Prince Fielder despite spending over $100 million to acquire Japanese starting pitcher Yu Darvish, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.

One rival executive believes the #Rangers will end up with Prince Fielder. “They are experts at playing possum,” he said. #Nationals

—
Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 19, 2012

The club finalized a six-year, $60 million deal with Darvish yesterday just minutes before their 30-day negotiation window was set to close. Texas will also pay the Nippon Ham-Fighters, Darvish’s old team, a $51.7 million posting fee, meaning that the Rangers have invested over $111 million in the foreign import.

There have been conflicting reports about whether the Rangers would be able to sign both Darvish, and Fielder who is expected to demand upwards of $170 million in free agency. Some have said that signing Fielder to a long-term deal would eliminate the possibility for a long-term extension to former American League MVP Josh Hamilton in the coming years.

Fielder hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

The Texas Rangers have just signed pitcher Yu Darvish, and there was speculation that the team would go after free agent first baseman Prince Fielder. General manager Jon Daniels shot down that idea Wednesday.

“After going through this process, I’m intimately familiar with our budget,” Daniels said, according to MLB.com. “It’s very unlikely.

“I don’t expect we’ll do anything really big the rest of the winter. But we’ll get the next few days under our belt, welcome Yu to Texas and then take a step back and look at things.”

Fielder and his agent Scott Boras met with the Rangers last week.

The Texas Rangers can afford to sign both free-agent Prince Fielder and Japanese import Yu Darvish, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com.

Rangers meeting with Fielder @ the Four Seasons Hotel went extremely well & they can afford to sign both Darvish and Fielder if they choose

—
JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) January 15, 2012

It was previously believed that the Rangers, who had won the exclusive negotiating rights to Darvish by committing a $51.7 million posting fee, would only sign Prince Fielder if the team failed to reach a deal with the hurler before the Jan. 18 signing deadline. The Rangers would reportedly like to give Darvish a similar deal to the $52 million contract the Boston Red Sox gave Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007, meaning in total they would be committing roughly over $100 million on Darvish.

Fielder, the top remaining bat on the market, is believed to be demanding a contract with a value near $200 million. The amount of overall interest in Fielder has been brought into question, however, as the Washington Nationals are considered to be one of the only other remaining teams vying for his services.

Fielder hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

With the future of superstar slugger Prince Fielder still very much up in the air, the Texas Rangers have emerged as a serious possibility for the 27-year-old former Brewer.

The Rangers met with Fielder at a Dallas area hotel on Friday, according to MLB.com. The first baseman plans to visit several other clubs before making a decision, but agent Scott Boras did tell MLB.com that Fielder would have a contract in place by the start of spring training.

It’s unclear just how much interest the Rangers have in Fielder, who’s the biggest star remaining on the free-agent market this January. He may be their prime target, or he may be a fallback option should the Rangers fail to land stud hurler Yu Darvish.

Fielder posted a .299/.415/.566 line last year with 38 home runs. He’s hit 230 career round-trippers for the Brewers in just six full seasons.

Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum said on Saturday that the Cubs are not going to sign free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder, according to ESPN.com.

“There haven’t been any discussions with us for Prince, that’s just not going to happen,” Sveum said at the Cubs’ fan convention on Saturday. “We have our first baseman in Bryan LaHair and [Anthony] Rizzo waiting in the wings as well. We’re doing OK with big power left-handed hitters right now. “

The Cubs have been one of the teams rumored to be interested in Fielder, who met with the Texas Rangers yesterday. The team, however, acquired Rizzo from San Diego last week as a player to build around; Rizzo, 22, hit .331 with 26 home runs and 101 RBIs in Triple-A last season.

Fielder, who turns 28 in May, hit .299 with 38 home runs and 120 RBIs last season. Besides the Rangers, the other team reported to be interested is the Washington Nationals.

The Texas Rangers are meeting with free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder today, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Breaking: The Texas #Rangers are meeting today with Prince Fielder at Dallas-area hotel. Stay tuned #mlb

—
Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 13, 2012

The potential interest by the Rangers provides a much needed boost for Fielder’s market value. While several teams had initially seemed interested in acquiring the All-Star, over the course of the last several weeks it has appeared that the Washington Nationals had become his only remaining suitor.

It is believed the Rangers have money to spend after missing out on free-agent starting pitcher C.J. Wilson to the Los Angeles Angels. The club, who has lost two-consecutive World Series, is also currently in negotiations with Japanese import Yu Darvish, however reports indicate that those talks are not going well.

Fielder, 26, hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

There is a “99 percent” chance that the Washington Nationals will not sign Prince Fielder, a source has told Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

It had been rumored that the Nationals were frontrunners to sign baseball’s top remaining free-agent. However, according to MLB.com, the current price for Fielder must come down before Washington considers signing him. The Nationals are also reportedly concerned with Fielder’s weight.

Fielder hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

His agent, Scott Boras, also represents a bevy of other Nationals players including Jayson Werth, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, and Danny Espinosa, among others.

The Washington Nationals ownership recently met with Prince Fielder’s agent, Scott Boras, in Washington, D.C., according to MLB.com. The Nationals are believed by many to be the frontrunner for Fielder’s services.

While Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has stated publically that the team plans to move forward with Adam LaRoche as the team’s starting first baseman for 2012, multiple industry sources have indicated that if the Nationals get the price they want, they will attempt to sign Fielder. According to MLB.com, the final decision on whether or not to sign the All-Star first baseman will belong to the club’s owners.

Fielder, who hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers is considered one of the top sluggers on the free-agent market. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

Boras, one of the premier agents in the game, also represents a bevy of other Nationals players including Jayson Werth, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, and Danny Espinosa, among others.

MLB’s top remaining free-agent, Prince Fielder, may be seeking an opt-out clause with whatever team he may sign with this winter, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

In any case, many in industry believe that Boras wants opt-out for Prince. From their perspective, makes all the sense in the world. #MLB

—
Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 03, 2012

An opt-out clause allows a player to escape his contract if he is either unhappy or believes that he is outperforming his current deal. A notable example of an exercised opt-out clause lays with Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia who just this offseason opted out of a seven-year, $161 million deal he signed with the Yankees in 2008. The hard throwing left-hander re-signed with the club under a new deal that would earn him $122 million over the next five years.

By opting out, Sabathia earned an extra two-years and $50 million on his original deal.

Fielder  hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

It is believed the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs are the teams with the most interest in Fielder.

The Washington Nationals have emerged as the favorite to sign free-agent Prince Fielder, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

While Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has downplayed speculation that the club might be interested in the All-Star first baseman, an MLB official told Journal Sentinel that Washington is currently the leading candidate for Fielder. At the moment, the Nationals have first baseman Adam LaRoche under contract for 2012, and team officials have publicly indicated that they intend to begin the season with him as their starter.

Fielder, who hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers is considered one of the top sluggers on the free-agent market. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

Despite his track record of production, interest in Fielder has declined over the course of the last month. Teams such as the Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, and Seattle Mariners, who were once rumored to be interested in Fielder, are reportedly now out of the bidding.

It is believed the Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs are the teams with the most interest in Fielder.

Superstar slugger Prince Fielder remains a free agent, and as he enters his prime at age 27, he’s been expected by many to seek a long-term deal a la Alex Rodriguez or Albert Pujols, perhaps as lengthy as 10 years. But according to a rumor perpetrated by Peter Gammons, the former Brewer could go a different route.

Several gm's think Boras could do a 3 year Prince deal @ $26M per year, go back on the market @30 and beat Pujols' AAV

—
Peter Gammons (@pgammo) December 27, 2011

Fielder’s agent Scott Boras fired back this evening, telling Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago that a short-term deal was a no-go.

“Not only is that inaccurate and delusional, but it seems that some people have gotten into their New Year’s Eve stash just a little bit early this year,” Boras said. “It appears some baseball people are just bored. That’s when you hear ideas like that floated.”

The race to sign Fielder to any contract, short or otherwise, remains wide open. The Cubs, Dodgers and Rangers are among the clubs rumored to be in the mix.

Fielder has played seven seasons for the Brewers, slugging 230 home runs. He turns 28 in May.

The Chicago Cubs are currently the front-runners for slugging first baseman Prince Fielder, according to Fox Sports.

Interest in Fielder’s services have declined, Fox Sports reports. Two teams who were previously believed to be in on attempting to acquire the powerful free-agent, the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners, will reportedly not make a bid. The Florida Marlins, who had also once shown interest in Fielder, have already said that they would look to bolster their pitching staff after failing to acquire top free-agent Albert Pujols during last week’s Winter Meetings.

Two potential teams outside of the Cubs who may be interested in throwing in the likely $180 million dollars-or-more needed to sign Fielder are the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals; however some have questioned Fielder’s interest to join a team that has struggled to win in recent years.

In 2011 Fielder hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games for the Milwaukee Brewers. It is not believed that he will re-sign with Milwaukee.

The Miami Marlins are out of the running for free-agent superstar Albert Pujols, according to the New York Daily News.

The Marlins believe that Pujols and the St. Cardinals are “a few million dollars apart” and are likely to re-sign their All-Star first baseman, a source has told the Daily News. The club, who have been among the most aggressive teams at the Winter Meetings this week, will likely turn their focus to free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder.

Miami broke negotiations for the three-time Most Valuable Player, Pujols, wide open yesterday afternoon when news broke that they had become the first to offer the slugger a contract with a duration of 10 years at a price of over $200 million. By late last night, it was reported that not only had the Cardinals at least matched the Marlins offer, another “mystery team” had entered the mix with their own $200 million deal.

Pujols, 31, is considered by many to be the top free-agent on the market this winter. The slugging first baseman hit .299/.366/.541 with 37 home runs and 99 RBI for the Cardinals last season.

Baltimore Orioles executive vice-president of baseball operations, Dan Duquette, has told MASN that the Orioles are reportedly interested in coveted free-agent Prince Fielder. The newly hired executive cautions, however, that the Orioles are not likely to get in a bidding war for the slugger.

Fielder, who hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers is considered one of the top sluggers on the free-agent market. Currently the Seattle Mariners, Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals, and several other teams have expressed interest in the All-Star.

The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

The Seattle Mariners are one of the several emerging teams who plan to throw their hat in the ring in an attempt to sign free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder, MLB.com reports.

The Mariners, who ranked last in the major leagues in scoring last year, will reportedly head to the Winter Meetings next week with the primary goal of attaining players who can improve their offense. Fielder, who hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers is considered one of the top sluggers on the free-agent market.

“There’s no question we could use a big bat in the middle of our lineup, but where is your limitation and threshold?” Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik told MLB.com. “We’ll go down that road and experiment and see where it ends up, but until things get more definitive, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Justin Smoak served as the Mariners first baseman last year. The 25-year-old hit .234 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI. Seattle finished with a 67-95 record on the season.

The Chicago Cubs are currently in pursuit of both Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, according to a report from Fox Sports, as the new front office leadership in Chicago looks to make a big splash in their first winter with the club.

Pujols and Fielder, both free-agent first basemen, are considered to be the top two sluggers on the market. According to Fox Sports, Cubs president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer are particularly interested in landing one of these two free-agents because they believe that with the contract extensions given to several of the game’s best hitters in recent months, the market for sluggers will be weak in the coming years. Pujols and Fielder both have led the league in home runs and RBIs at some point in the past five seasons.

Epstein and Hoyer have made their intentions clear that they wish to rebuild the Cubs from the ground up, and reports have said that any player on the Cubs roster is available for trade. Last season Carlos Pena served as the club’s first baseman and hit .225/.357/.462 for Chicago with 28 home runs and 80 RBIs. Pena is now himself a free agent, however Pujols and Fielder are viewed as potentially significant upgrades.

In 2011 Fielder hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games for the Milwaukee Brewers. It is not believed that he will re-sign with Milwaukee.

Pujols hit .299/.366/.541 with 37 home runs and 99 RBI. The 31-year-old has won three Most Valuable Player awards and has a career 162 game average of .328/.420/.617 with 42 home runs and 126 RBI. Yesterday it was reported that league executives believed the Cardinals were heavy favorites to re-sign Pujols, however some expressed that was because it seemed there were no other serious offers for the slugger at the time.

Free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder is reportedly seeking a contract worth upwards of $200 million,  Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman tweeted.

Heyman said that Fielder would like to earn the same amount annually as Ryan Howard. The comparable Philadelphia Phillies slugger signed an extension in 2010 worth $125 million over five years.

Fielder is one of the most coveted bats this offseason by teams looking for a franchise player to fill a hole at first base. The three-time All-Star had spent his entire MLB career with the Milwaukee Brewers before becoming a free agent. Due to his contract demands, it appears unlikely he will return to Milwaukee.

In 162 games this season Fielder helped propel the Brewers to an American League Central title while hitting .299/.415/.556 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI. In nearly 1,000 games played, Fielder has amassed 230 home runs, 656 RBIs and boasts a career on base percentage of .390.

It is believed that Fielder may wait until fellow free-agent Albert Pujols signs with a team, because he may be able to better structure a deal with a team based on the type of financial haul Pujols brings in.