Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has been persistent in saying Adam LaRoche is the team's first baseman going forward, barring something extraordinary. Signing Prince Fielder could qualify as the extraordinary move that would push LaRoche out of the first base job.
The Prince Fielder front has been mostly quiet, and the Nationals have been careful with displaying their interest thus far. While the team keeps putting water onto the subject, one Nationals player told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, "We're in the market. We're still shooting for him.''
More evidence the Nationals could be playing coy is a recent report from Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Connolly says Scott Boras and Prince Fielder were in the Baltimore-Washington area, but did not meet with Orioles owner Peter Angelos. It's safe to assume they did meet with the only other owner in the area, the Lerner family, which happen to own the Washington Nationals.
- Twitter / @danconnollysun - "When Scott Boras and Prince Fielder did their ownership tour this month, they were in "Balt-Wash area" but did not meet w Peter Angelos."
- Twitter / @danconnollysun - "Given that info, one can assume Boras and Fielder did meet with someone in the Lerner family, the #Nationals principal owners"
- Nats player: We are "shooting for" Prince - CBSSports.com