Fielderwho hit .299 with 38 home runs and 120 RBIs last season will join Miguel Cabrera who led the majors with a .344 average and 48 doubles, 30 homers and drove in 105 runs as one of the most feared 3-4 hitters in all of the game.

Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, first reported that the sides were nearing a nine-year deal earlier today.

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The Brewers won the rights to negotiate with Aoki with a $2.5MM bid in December

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In 2011 the Brewers won 96 regular season games, or 47 above the 49 games won line. They paid $85,497,333 in total salary breaking down their expenses to $1,819,092.19 per win.

Their top five paid players were:

– Prince Fielder ($15,500,000): Fielder hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 HR’s, 120 RBI’s, 95 runs and a .981 OPS. Fielder earned $407,894.74 for every home run he hit or $129,166.67 for every RBI he earned, or $163,157.89 for every run he scored, or $54,006.97 for every time he got on base.

– Zack Greinke ($13,500,000): Greinke went 16-6 with a 3.83 ERA with 201 SO in 171.2 innings. He made $843,750 for every game he won or $67,164.18 for every batter he struck out, or $482,142.86 for every game he started (28).

– Randy Wolf ($9,500,00): Wolf went 13-10 with a 3.69 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 212.1 innings. He earned $730,769.23 for every win, or $70,895.52 for every strikeout, or $278,878.79 for every game started (33).

– Corey Hart ($6,833,333): Hart hit .285/.356/.510 with 26 HR’s, 63 RBI’s, 80 runs and a .866 OPS. Hart made $262,820.5 for every home run he hit, or $108,465.60 for every RBI he earned, or $85,416.66 for every run he scored, or $35,042.73 for every time he got on base.

– Rickie Weeks ($4,500,000): Weeks hit .269/.350/.468 with 20 HR’s, 49 RBI’s, 77 runs and a .818 OPS. He earned $225,000 for every home run, $91,836.73 for every run batted in, or $58,441.56 for every run he scored, or $25,000 for every time he got on base.

The Brewers had a .325 OBP as a team and a .425 of SLG percentage. They scored a total runs of 721 which breaks down their expenses to $118,581.60 per run.

The Brewers began 2011 by trading for Greinke and Shaun Marcum thus bolstering the top of their starting rotation and getting a chance to compete in the NL Central. Their top paid player, Fielder, had an OBP over .400 for the third consecutive season, and walked over 100 times for a third consecutive season as well. The other two position players in the top five paid players were Weeks and Hart. Both of them had an OBP above .350 and an OPS over .800.

As the team with the 17th highest payroll we can say that they have been the most effective team thus far out of the first five teams evaluated even though they are the ones that scored the fewer runs. Unfortunately for them, it appears that their offense relies a lot on Fielder. With Fielder probably moving on, you start to wonder if they will have the same shot at competing this season.

In my opinion, the Brewers’ offense relies more on Fielder more than the Cardinals’ offense does in Albert Pujols. For 2012, the Brewers also have another payroll problem. They will have to pay Francisco Rodriguez about $14 million for being the team’s setup man, thus putting him in the team’s top five players for 2012.

The Brewers probably offered Rodriguez arbitration to get a compensation pick if he signed elsewhere, but with the closer market shrinking he decided to accept the arbitration offer and come back with the team for 2012. Although last week, we learned that there are teams interested in trading for Rodriguez.

For 2012, the team also picked up Aramis Ramirez and Alex Gonzalez in free agency. The first one will try to fill some of the void left by Fielder’s imminent departure, and the latter will be a defensive, and probably offensive improvement over Yunieski Betancourt.

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Allan

The Brewers agreed to a three-year deal with Aramis Ramirez earlier today.  That move made McGehee expandable for Milwaukee.

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“Alex brings to our ballclub a veteran presence who has experienced winning in the postseason,” said executive vice president and general manager Doug Melvin.  “He is a plus defender who will be a welcome addition to our infield.”

Gonzalez, 34, has a career .247 batting average with 152 home runs and 665 RBIs.

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A spokesman for Braun issued a statement Saturday: “There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan’s complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident he will ultimately be exonerated”

Braun was notified of a positive test in late October – about  month before he was named National League MVP.

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By accepting the arbitration offer Rodriguez will probably get a raise from the $12.5 he made during his past contract, but as a setup man. This could make the situation a little difficult for everybody.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, Rodriguez has been drawing interest from a “handful of teams,” but at $13-$14 million a season it might be a little pricey for most teams. After all, Heath Bell signed for an average $9 million per season, and Jonathan Papelbon for $12.5 million per season.

Rosenthal points out that the Brewers estimate that Rodriguez will slot somewhere between Bell and Papelbon. Even so, Rodriguez, at $10 million is still a pricey setup man, and if he definitely doesn’t want to be a setup man, they will have to explore a trade.

Rodriguez was 6-2 with a 2.64 ERA with 25 saves in 71.2 innings with the Mets and Brewers in 2011.

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– Carlos Pena remains a possibility to the St. Louis Cardinals to replace Albert Pujols according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports. He adds the the Cardinals could also look at Carlos Beltran and Jimmy Rollins. Whether the will pursue Prince Fielder remains unknown.

– The Texas Rangers are among the teams currently talking to the Oakland Athletics regarding left handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez reports Buster Olney of ESPN. He adds that at least two teams “seem to match up” the A’s demands.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports believes that one of the reasons the Marlins won’t pursue Prince Fielder is because his agent, Scott Boras, would probably insist on a no-trade clause and the Marlins would not change his policy on no-trade clauses. They didn’t do it for Albert Pujols, and they’re probably not doing it for Fielder either.

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Last week, we learned that Gonzalez was drawing interest from the Cardinals, Giants and Brewers. Gonzalez hit .241/.270/.372 with 15 HR’s and 56 RBI’s in 564 AB’s for the Atlanta Braves in 2011.

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– The Houston Astros have hired Jeff Luhnow as their new general manager. (Brian McTaggart, MLB.com)

– The Pittsburgh Pirates have released Ross Ohlendorf. (Jenifer Langosch, MLB.com)

– John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants are out on Carlos Beltran. Jon Heyman adds that Beltran’s market appears thin.

– Jimmy Rollins’ agent, Dan Lozano, and manager Charlie Manuel are saying that a deal between the Phillies and Rollins will get done.  (Jim Bowden, ESPN XM Radio).

– Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post says the Washington Nationals are now targeting Roy Oswalt.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports reports that the Detroit Tigers are considered front runners to land veteran right hander Octavio Dotel. Rosenthal also adds that a NL team is also in the mix.

– The New York Mets are shopping Jonathon Niese according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He adds that the Padres and Rockies are among the teams interested in him.

– Mark Buehrle has narrowed his choice to three teams and according to Juan Carlos Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel the Marlins are one of them.

– The Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks are among the teams interested in Hiroki Kuroda according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports. He adds that the right hander may go back to Japan.

– According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Athletics will not move left handed pitcher Gio Gonzlaez during the Winter Meetings.

– The Kansas City Royals are looking for an utility infielder, and according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, they are considering Edgar Renteria and “several others.”

– The Cleveland Indians are interested in first baseman Derek Lee, and according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, they are waiting until after Lee decides if he’ll accept the arbitration offer from the Pirates.

– The Colorado Rockies are interested in trading for Edinson Volquez or signing free agents Hiroki Kuroda or Kevin Millwood according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. He adds that the teams has the money to make the next move.

– According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres are talking about a deal involving Huston Street.

– First baseman Carlos Pena said that he will not accept the Cubs’ arbitration offer according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.

– Sussan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirms that the Phillies are indeed interested in Gio Gonzalez, and adds that they are also interested in reliever Craig Breslow.

– According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, Gio Gonzalez’s “known suitors” are the Tigers, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Reds and Phillies.

– Veteran short stop, Miguel Tejada, is working out in Fort Lauderdale and is hoping to get a Major League deal according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. He adds the the Orioles have no interest in signing him.

– According to the New York Post (via Guillermo Celis of ESPNDeportes), the New York Yankees are listening to offers for A.J. Burnett. He adds that the Yankees are willing to eat about $8 million of the $33 million owed to Burnett.

– The Detroit Tigers are apparently trying to make a strong push for left handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says that the Angels and Brewers are among the teams interested in Aramis Ramirez. He adds that the Phillies are no longer interested in the third baseman.

– Peter Gammons says that the Oakland Athletics are considering Josh Reddick and propects for Andrew Bailey.

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The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports reports.

Hawkins will provide another quality arm at the backend of the bullpen to go along with Jordan Walden and Scott Downs.

Hawkins posted a 2.42 ERA in 48 1/3 innings while striking out28 batters and walking only 10.

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If that means the Brewers are moving on even though Fielder’s market is shrinking, as Haudricourt points out, they will probably give Mat Gamel a shot at first base. If Gamel fails, Haudricourt says that a “contingency plan” for the Brewers could be moving Casey McGehee from third to first base.

Fielder hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 HR’s and 120 RBI’s in 569 AB’s for the Brewers in 2011.

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– The Minnesota Twins are interested in Jeff Francis according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports. A source close to him says the team already had initial talks with Francis’ agent, and the sides will probably have further discussions at the winter meetings in Dallas next week. The team is also interested in right handed pitcher Edwin Jackson according to Morosi.

– The Nationals, Rangers, Indians and Pirates have all spoke to free agent infielder Mark DeRosa. (Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports)

– According to Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-sentinel, the Milwaukee Brewers and third baseman Aramis Ramirez have mutual interest. “He has expressed interest in us, too,” GM, Doug Melvin said. “That’s something I always like to hear.”

– Short stop Alex Gonzalez has been drawing interest from the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers according to Jon Heyman of Sprots Illustrated (via Francisco Zambrano of LiderEnDeportes)

– Jorge Posada, who owns a house in Miami, says he still wants to play if he finds the right job reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. He adds that Posada would like to join the Marlins if they consider him.

– The Houston Astros are apparently shopping not only Wandy Rodriguez, but Brett Myers and Carlos Lee too says Heyman.

– The Rockies, who are willing to trade Ian Stewart, say that they are interested in Cubs’ infielder Blake DeWitt according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

– The Minnesota Twins are interested in left handed pitcher Chris Capuano according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

– Infielder Eric Chavez wants to play in 2012 and according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, there are several teams interested in signing him. She adds that the Yankees might be one of them.

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Hairston, 35 can play anywhere in the infield and outfield and is coming off of a one-year, $2mm deal that he signed with the Nationals.

He hit .270 in 376 plate appearances with the Nationals and Brewers. During the playoffs, Hairston raised his play to another level as he went 15-for-39 (.385) with four walks and six doubles.

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Sources close to Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports add that Valentine has met with at least one Red Sox owner and will meet with others.

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-According to the Associated Press (via Sports Illustrated), the St. Louis Cardinals have decided to decline their options on right handed pitcher Octavio Dotel ($3.5 million), short stop Rafael Furcal ($12 million) and outfielder Corey Patterson ($1.1 million).

-Tha Arizona Diamondbacks exercised their option on Henry Blanco and Willie Bloomquist according to the team official Twitter account. They also announced they have declined their options on Zach Duke and Aaron Hill.

-According to the Tampa Bay Tribune, the Tampa Bay Rays have picked up Kyle Farnsworth’s option for 2012. The team also announced they declined Kelly Shoppach’s option.

-The Texas Rangers exercised their option on right handed pitcher Yoshinori Tateyama according to John Blake, the VP of Communications for the Rangers.

-The San Diego Padres declined their options on right handers Aaron Harang and Chad Qualls and outfielder Brad Hawpe.

-The Toronto Blue Jays exercised Edwin Encarnacion’s option for 2012 while declining Jon Rauch’s option.

-According to his agent, Page Odle, the Tampa Bay Rays have picked up James Shields‘ $7.5 million option for 2012 (via Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times).

-The Kansas City Royals have exercised their option on Joakim Soria according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.

-The Cincinnati Reds have exercised Brandon Phillips‘ option for 2012 and declined Francisco Cordero’s option according to the team’s official Twitter account.

-Right handed pitcher David Aardsma has elected free agency after clearing waivers according to Buster Olney of ESPN.

-The Texas Rangers have picked up Colby Lewis‘ option for 2012 according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

-According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago White Sox have picked up Jason Frasor’s option for next season.

-The Boston Red Sox have decided to decline their options on Dan Wheeler ($3 million) and Scott Atchison (Major League minimum plus $200,000) according to Maureen Mullen.

-Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com says that the Atlanta Braves have picked up Eric Hinske’s option for 2012. He adds that the team decided to decline Nate McLouth’s option.

-The Pittsburgh Pirates also declined their options on shortstop Ronny Cedeno and catchers Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

-The Cleveland Indians are picking up Fausto Carmona’s option according to the team’s official Twitter account. The team also announced they have declined Grady Sizemore’s option for 2012.

-The Pittsburgh Pirates officially announced they’re not picking up Paul Maholm’s option for 2012 according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

-According to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post, the Colorado Rockies have declined their option on right handed pitcher Aaron Cook.

-Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Aramis Ramirez has exercised a clause in his contract and is voiding the his 2012 option ($16mm club option) as well as the $2mm buyout, thus making him a free agent.

-According to a source close to Dan Hayes of the North County  Times, Aaron Harang declined his side of his $5mm mutual option. Though a return to the Padres has not been ruled out.

-According to Matthew Leach of MLB.com, the World Champion Cardinals have exercised Yadier Molina’s $7 mm club option.

-The Brewers have declined Francisco Rodriguez’s $17.5 mm club option as well as Yuniesky Betancourt’s $6mm option Adam McCalvy of   MLB.com reports.

-The Red Sox who will start their manager search later this week, have picked up the $6mm option on shortstop Marco Scutaro, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.

-The Giants fresh off their resigning of Javier Lopez to a two-year deal, have exercised Jeremy Affeldt’s $5mm option, reports Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.

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One of the new features we are proud to debut is our “Mail Time with PRO Rumors.” Twice a month (or maybe more), we will answer emails from our readers about any baseball related topic. We will also take questions in both English and Spanish. If you have a question about Winter Ball in Venezuela make sure you drop us a line, as PRO Rumors’ writer Juan has been scouting most of the games.

Send us your questions to Mailbag@prorumors.com

– Albert Pujols: A couple of days ago, Pujols showed us why he is considered the best hitter in baseball, but unfortunately for him, there’s no room for a 1st baseman on any team with a high payroll such as the Yankees, Red Sox or Phillies. Shea adds that “it will be tough for him to top $200 million anywhere but St. Louis.” He believes the odds of Pujols returning to the Cards are high, if not he’ll go with the Cubs, and adds that the Giants are a long shot.

– Prince Fielder: He could be considered as a consolation price for those who don’t get Pujols and according to Shea he’s “pursuing top dollar and won’t accept a hometown discount.” The chances of him returning to Milwaukee are low and the Nationals appear to be really interested in acquiring him. A long shot for him would be the Orioles.

– Jose Reyes: After dealing with several injuries the past couple of seasons, Reyes proved to be healthy again and had an outstanding season, although his health problems are still considered a threat. He’s a great lead off hitter and a solid defender at short stop. Shea believes his chances of returning to New York are somewhere around 50/50, and adds that if he doesn’t stay there he could end up in Boston. The Nationals are considered a long shot.

– Jimmy Rollins: He’d be cheaper than Reyes and would definitely deepen the Giants lineup as Shea points out. Shea adds that the Giants could afford to keep Brandon Crawford at short stop, or maybe go with Ehire Adrianza, who is off to a great start in Venezuela with the Tiburones de la Guaira. This would allow the Giants to fill other holes in their lineup. The odds of Rollins returning to Philadelphia are high according to Shea, and he says that if he doesn’t re-sign with them he could end up in San Francisco. The Braves are considered a long shot.

– C.J. Wilson: He’s considered the best free agent starter, unless C.C. Sabathia opts out of his contract with the Yankees. He had a solid season going 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA and 205 SO, but he has struggled during the postseason. Shea says that the odds of returning to Texas are low, and that if he doesn’t go back to Texas he could end up with the Yankees. The Tigers are considered a long shot.

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Philadelphia Phillies  2:1

Texas Rangers  14:5

New York Yankees  5:1

Milwaukee Brewers  13:2

Detroit Tigers  17:2

St. Louis Cardinals  10:1

Arizona Diamondbacks  12:1

(Information courtesy of Bodog.)

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– According to Cafardo, there appears to be a shift in power going on in the Orioles’ organization. Andy MacPhail could soon hand over baseball matters to someone else, and that person could be manager Buck Showalter. Cafardo says that Showalter would not necessarily be the GM, “but a de facto GM,” with another person. A name that has been mentioned to work with Showalter is John Hart.

– C.J. Wilsonwill be a free agent at the end of the season, and he will be one of the top free agent pitchers this off season. Cafardo believes the Rangers have the funds to “help him break the bank,” but he also mentions other teams that could place a bid for the lefty. Among those teams are the Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees, Twins, Tigers, Cardinals and Royals.

– Major League sources close to Cafardo believes that the Brewers will try to keep first baseman Prince Fielder after all. Fielder will be a free agent after this season, and it could be considered as a “Plan B” for those who can’t get Albert Pujols this off season.

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Fielder said, “I’m signed for this year, but being real about it, it is probably the last year.”

Fielder is making $15.5 million this year and he (along with agent Scott Boras), is likely seeking a contract of at least nine figures.

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