Brewers general manager Doug Melvin told reporters that Ryan Braun signing a five-year, $105 million extension yesterday won’t impact impending free agent Prince Fielder’s status with the team, calling them “different situations.”
Milwaukee also signed Rickie Weeks to a four-year, $50 million extension during spring training, but Adam McCalvy of MLB.com writes that Fielder rejected a five-year, $100 million extension offer from the Brewers early last year, which was to be expected given that his agent is Scott Boras.
Handing one star player $105 million to keep him with the team through 2020 while another star player is seven months from becoming a free agent may seem connected, but realistically it wasn’t a one-or-the-other situation for the Brewers. Fielder turned down their offer and is determined to hit the open market as a free agent, so even if they hadn’t extended Braun the odds were already stacked against Milwaukee being able to re-sign Fielder once it turns into a bidding war.
