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The one thing that would stop Prince Fielder's name from being prominently mentioned in trade rumors between now and the July 31 non-waiver deadline is a contract extension with the Brewers.
And that's not happening.
General manager Doug Melvin confirmed that he no longer is in discussions with Fielder's agent, Scott Boras, regarding an extension.
"There's nothing going on at this time," said Melvin.
Melvin wouldn't gauge the possibility of talks resuming at a future point. Word around Miller Park is that Fielder and Boras rebuffed the club's initial offer, shutting down talks.
"I'm not going to get into any of that," said Melvin. "I'm sure his name will come up in trade rumors. It always does with any player that's not signed (for the long-term)."
Whether the Brewers climb back into contention or not, odds are Melvin will wait until the off-season to trade Fielder, who can be a free agent after the 2011 season. That would give Fielder time to rebound from his slow first half and retain his trade value.
Melvin believes it's often better to trade position players in the off-season, when all teams are in play, rather than just those fighting for the playoffs in July.
"You can get more teams involved," he said. "Pitching, you can trade at any time. Pitching probably has more value at this time of the year. A pitcher can fit on anyone's staff.
"A position player has to be a perfect fit. There are only so many teams competing for the players. A lot of them have certain positions filled. So, you're only talking about one or two teams (to trade with).
"In the off-season, things change. Players go to other teams as free agents. Teams lose players. You can get more teams involved."
Both with Texas and the Brewers, Melvin pulled off blockbuster trades before the deadline, including the CC Sabathia deal that propelled Milwaukee to the playoffs in 2008. So anything is possible, mainly because you don't know what the next telephone call might bring.
"Whenever a deal feels good, you make it," said Melvin. "There's no timetable for that. Somebody could call up and say, 'Hey, would you do this?'
"A lot of guys snoop around to see what's going on. If somebody asks about a player, I'll say, 'You've asked about him. What will you offer?'
"If somebody knocks on my door and says, 'Is your house for sale?' I might say, 'I wasn't going to sell it but if you want to make an offer, go ahead.' "
Fielder realizes his name will be prominent in trade rumors in the coming weeks but said he will do his best not to be distracted.
"I can't worry about that," he said. "That's something that's really out of my control. People are going to say what they want. You know it's going on but I can't think about that."
As for what appears to be the remote possibility of signing an extension with the Brewers, Fielder said, "I haven't really heard anything about it. I'm not sure if it's a hiatus or not. I'm just focusing on playing baseball right now."
Thanks to his run-production surge since mid-May, rightfielder Corey Hart expects his name also to be bandied about in trade rumors. Despite temporarily losing starter status after an awful spring training, Hart said he'd rather stay in Milwaukee than be dealt.
"I hope they give me a chance to stay," said Hart, who also is a free agent after the 2011 season. "I've been here my whole career and I like it here."
Source: jsonline.com