It appears that the Brewers will have positive news to announce during their "Winter Warmup / On Deck" celebration this weekend.

Journal Sentinel baseball scribe Tom Haudricourt reported this afternoon that the club has reached an agreement with first baseman Prince Fielder on a two-year, $18 million deal that will become official when Fielder passes a physical.

The Brewers are holding a press conference this afternoon at Miller Park, but that was scheduled before the Fielder news broke. General manager Doug Melvin, manager Ken Macha and scouting director Bruce Seid are slated to appear at the media availability.

Earlier this winter, the Brewers and Fielder seemed headed for an arbitration hearing. When the sides exchanged salary figures earlier this week, Fielder filed at $8 million and the club countered with a $6 million offer.

Rather than going through a hearing and letting an arbitrator decide a winner, the Brewers and agent Scott Boras tried to negotiate a one-year deal that apparently spun into a two-year deal.

The question arising among fans: what's in it for both sides?

The answer, in this case, is cost certainty.

The Brewers know what Fielder will make next season, avoiding the arbitration headache next winter and giving them a better, earlier idea of how much money they'll have to spend on free agents.

Fielder, who made $670,000 last year, gets guaranteed money without having to worry about injury or a drop in his performance. It's likely that he will receive about $7 million in salary this season -- the midpoint between the arbitration figures exchanged -- and about $11 million after the 2010 season.

Fielder will be eligible for arbitration again after 2010. He will be eligible for free agency after the 2011 season. Boras is a notoriously tough negotiator who tends to take free agents on the market and shop them to the highest bidder.

After this season, the Brewers may try to work out a revised two-year deal in order to "buy out" the first year of Fielder's free agency. If that doesn't work, they may consider trading him following the 2010 season as a preemptive move in order to get something for him besides draft picks.

The Brewers did that a few years ago when they traded Richie Sexson to Arizona for a handful of players including Lyle Overbay, who held down first base while Fielder was working his way through the farm system.

Earlier this week, Fielder agreed to take part in the team's weekend festivities. That, coupled with Melvin's optimistic quotes, was a sign that negotiations were headed in a positive direction.

The Brewers face potential arbitration hearings with Corey Hart, who is seeking $3.8 million in arbitration while the team offered $2.7 million, and Rickie Weeks, who is seeking $2.8 million against the club's offer of $2 million.

Hart and Weeks are expected to attend the weekend festivities as well. The On Deck event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Midwest Airlines Center, is $15 for adults and $9 for children under 14. Each admission ticket can be exchanged for a free Terrace Reserved ticket to a game during the April 13-15 series against Cincinnati.

Here is the schedule for the On Deck event, along with autograph prices.

WTMJ STAGE SCHEDULE
10:30 a.m.: Trevor Hoffman introductory press conference
11 a.m.: Doug Melvin and Gord Ash question-and-answer session
11:30 a.m.: Meet the 2009 Brewers coaching staff
1-2:30 p.m.: Brewers Weekly with Dan O'Donnell of WTMJ-AM 620
3-4 p.m.: Media roundtable hosted by Brian Anderson and Bill Schroeder

BREWERS INTERACTIVE STAGE SCHEDULE
11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Brewers anthem challenge
1:30-2:30 p.m.: Bubblegum bubble-blowing contest
3-4 p.m.: Brewers.com Web chat / live Q&A session

AUTOGRAPH SCHEDULE
(proceeds benefit Brewers Charities and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin)
STAGE 1
11-11:45 a.m.: Ryan Braun, $25
12:30-1:15 p.m.: Trevor Hoffman, $25
2-2:45 p.m.: Corey Hart, $10
3:30-4:15 p.m.: Tony Gwynn, $10

STAGE 2
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: J.J. Hardy, $10
1-1:45 p.m.: Yovani Gallardo, $10
2:30-3:15 p.m.: Todd Coffey and Manny Parra, $10

STAGE 3
12-12:45 p.m.: Dave Bush, $10
1:30-2:15 p.m.: Jeff Suppan, $10
3-3:45 p.m.: Carlos Villanueva, $10

STAGE 4
11-11:45 a.m.: Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder, $25
12:30-1:15 p.m.: Mike Cameron, $10
2-2:45 p.m.: Mat Gamel and Angel Salome, free
3:30-4:15 p.m.: Taylor Green and Casey McGehee, free

STAGE 5
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Mark DiFelice and Brad Nelson, free
1-1:45 p.m.: Ken Macha, $10
2:30-3:15 p.m.: Vinny Rottino and R.J. Swindle, free

STAGE 6
12-12:45 p.m.: Bob Uecker, $25
1:30-2:15 p.m.: Tim Dillard and Mitch Stetter, free
3-3:45 p.m.: Mike Rivera and Eduardo Morlan, $10