Last night at the owners' meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., Scott Boras assured reporters that his client, Prince Fielder, would be signed well in advance of spring training.

"That's why we have January and early February," he said. "Spring training doesn't start until late February."

Well, for the Mariners, spring training starts in early February. Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 11. Was Boras overlooking the Mariners?

Not intentionally. Boras would want everyone to believe that all clubs have interest in his client and of course all clubs would have interest at the right price, but it is highly unlikely that Fielder will come in at the right price for anyone.

What the right price for the Mariners is right now remains a closely guarded secret between Jack Zduriencik and Scott Boras. We have heard reports that the Mariners are in, out, lying in the weeds, and the most likely to spend big on Fielder. Which is it?

According to a source close to the situation, the Mariners, at best, fall into the lying in the weeds category. This source (not affiliated with Scott Boras) also told me that there are more teams involved than what we are hearing about and that most of the unnamed teams are from the National League.

This does not mean that there are multiple teams offering Pujols-like deals. In fact, it probably means the opposite, especially if the majority are National League teams that do not have the designated hitter. "More teams involved" could simply include teams that have made short-term, big-dollar offers or said that they would be in should the asking price in years come down.

If Fielder narrows his choices or has no other choice than to accept a shorter deal, then the Mariners are out. Fielder will not simply fall to the Mariners. There will be more attractive situations for him. Closer to home, contenders, parks where he could increase his value for his next contract.

If more teams truly are involved this is not good news for the Mariners.

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