Stark Dishes On Prince Fielder, Hiroki Kuroda, Houston Astros

by Ronit Shah on Jan 13, 2012 2:22 PM EST in MLB Experts

In ESPN's Jayson Stark latest Rumblings & Grumblings piece, the MLB insider takes a look at why the Yankees and Red Sox aren't spending big on free agents this offseason. Sure, we can "blame" the new CBA on why the big spenders are lowering payrolls, but is there anyone upset about that? Let's take a look at the other tidbits and rumors from Stark's latest piece...

One executive that speaks regularly with the Nationals believes Prince Fielder will eventually sign with Washington. However, the executive doesn't think it'll be more than a six-year deal.
The Marlins aren't interested in Fielder, though the Marlins owner and Scott Boras chatted for a few minutes.
Another possible suitor for Fielder, the Cubs, aren't "totally out" on the first baseman yet one source tells Stark. Even after acquiring Rizzo, the club will "be in it till the end."
With a surplus of starting pitchers available in free agency, teams don't expect the Cubs to move starting pitcher Matt Garza until the trade deadline.

One of the starters available, Hiroki Kuroda, wants to pitch for the Red Sox or Yankees. Neither team wants to give the starting pitcher $13 million or more, though.

Lastly, the new Houston Astros front office are prepared to start a fire sale and are open for business through spring training. The Astros are willing to eat half of Carlos Lee's salary, more than 60% of Brett Myers', but it's unclear how much they'd take on southpaw Wandy Rodriguez.

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