As the Washington Nationals continue to weigh the merits of signing free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder, one of the potential drawbacks has been Fielder's likely prohibitive cost. Several writers have noted that the Nationals may not want to pay Fielder in light of Jayson Werth's big deal and a likely extension for Ryan Zimmerman on the horizon. It turns out that may not be a concern, though, at least according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Rosenthal notes the Nationals' new TV contract with MASN as evidence for the team being able to afford Fielder if they decide he's worth signing.
That revenue, reported to be $29 million a year, soon will "double, triple or more," according to a major-league source. The Nats are due to "reset" their contract with the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network to ensure that their rights fee is still market value. If no deal can be reached with the Orioles, the larger stake-holder in MASN, the case will go to arbitration.
There’s your Prince money.
That just leaves the issue of fit, and at least according to Rosenthal, the fact that Fielder's agent is Scott Boras is enough reason to believe Fielder will eventually end up in D.C.
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