Report: Washington Nationals Have ‘Emerged’ As Favorites to Sign Prince Fielder

Who knew the Washington Nationals were such big players on the MLB hot stove?

Washington has "emerged" as the favorite to sign free agent first baseman Prince Fielder, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

This continues a trend of increased activity during the last few offseasons for the Nationals. They already made a big move this offseason by trading for former Oakland A's pitcher Gio Gonzalez and last year signed outfielder Jason Werth to a seven-year, $126 million contract.

Interestingly enough, Fielder's agent, Scott Boras, has plenty of connections to the Nats. In addition to representing Werth, he also represents the Nationals' two young stars in Bryce Harper and Steven Strasburg.

Boras has reportedly been seeking an eight- to 10-year deal, but the report speculates Fielder would sign a shorter deal if he were guaranteed more per year than Albert Pujols got from the Angels.