PHOENIX -- What we know about Prince Fielder's future is that as a 25-year-old with a 50-homer season already on his record, he's in line to make a ton of money. We also know that Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is determined to make a strong effort to keep him. And we know, as Fielder himself said this morning, that there's not yet any deadline pressure, since he won't be eligible for free agency until the end of the 2011 season.

"If I'm not here [the next two years], it's not my fault," he said.

What we don't know is whether Fielder will be with the Brewers beyond 2011.

"I'm definitely hopeful," Fielder said. "Milwaukee's been good to me. My family likes it. I'd love to get something done where I can be here as long as possible, but right now I'm just trying to get reason for the season."

Even Brewers people prefer not to guess how the Fielder negotiations will turn out. All they'll say is that they believe Attanasio will make an offer that will at least tempt Fielder to accept.

Seeing Fielder in Brewers camp with his 5-year-old son Jadyn brings back memories of Prince, at about the same age, joining his father Cecil in the Tigers clubhouse in the early 1990s. Prince and Cecil have since gone their separate ways, but Prince remembers those days fondly.

And just as Prince is proving to be a better player than his father, Prince predicted that Jadyn will do the same.

"Oh yeah," he said. "He's just like me, but better. If he wants to play baseball, he'll have a good shot. And right now, he likes it."