Prince Fielder, Brewers Agree to $15.5 Million Deal for 2011

Prince Fielder has one more year to go before he's eligible for free agency and he's going to start it in historic fashion.

Fielder and the Brewers agreed to terms on a $15.5 million contract Tuesday, enabling both sides to avoid a testy arbitration hearing before what could be their final season together. Per the Biz of Baseball, that's the biggest contract ever agreed to by a player for a single season under the arbitration process. Roger Clemens got more from the Astros in 2005, but he was a free agent who agreed to arbitration, not a player ineligible for free agency. Mark Teixeira held the previous top mark with a $12.5 million contract with the Braves in 2008.

"We're pleased with the deal, where it's at, and he obviously is, too, to get it done," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "It was only natural he would pass Teixeira. He can focus on spring training, preparing for spring training and having a big year."

The contract is also the most lucrative in the history of the Brewers, supplanting that new teammate Zack Greinke's. The big question now, and for the entire 2011 season, is whether or not it remains the biggest contract in team history. Like most Scott Boras clients, Fielder has resisted signing a long-term extension before reaching free agency and he could wind up pricing himself out of Milwaukee's range come the end of the season.

It's hard to say just what the Brewers are planning on that front. Fielder will be expensive, to be sure, but they've extended long-term deals to Ryan Braun and Corey Hart while also swinging trades for Greinke and Shaun Marcum. They've also expressed a willingness to extend Rickie Weeks and have Yovani Gallardo under their control for a few more years. That's a pretty decent core to build around going forward, although a much less impressive one without Fielder's thump in the middle of the order.