While the St. Louis Cardinals celebrated their 18th National League pennant in the Miller Park visitors' clubhouse, a hoard of media congregated around an empty locker on the Brewers' side of the ballpark.

Local beat writers, broadcast folks, out-state reporters in town for the series and the national media weren't looking for starting pitcher Shaun Marcum. They weren't waiting for Ryan Braun to come out. The always-entertaining Nyjer Morgan wasn't on the wish list, either.

No, just moments after the Brewers were knocked out of the playoffs with a 12-6 loss to the Cardinals in Game 6 of the National League Championship series, the focus shifted quickly from what went wrong to what comes next for the Brewers, and, specifically, what's next for first baseman Prince Fielder.

Fielder becomes a free agent in a few weeks and it's all but certain that he won't be back in Milwaukee when the 2012 season begins.

His last game as a Brewer was forgettable. Fielder went 0-for-3 Sunday, capping off a 4-for-25 (.160) performance in the NLCS and he hit just .196 in the playoffs with three home runs, six doubles and six RBI.

As Fielder stepped to the plate in the eighth inning, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols – himself a free agent after the season – called for time, allowing fans a few extra moments to show their appreciation for Fielder.

"That was cool," Fielder said. "I appreciate it."

He grounded out to second and made his way back to the dugout with the crowd of 43,926 giving him a standing ovation. Fielder's next move is anybody's guess but he wasn't in the mood to talk about the future Sunday.

"I'm just trying to say goodbye to my teammates," Fielder said, his postgame session moved to the team's media auditorium. "It's the offseason, you're not going to see them at 3 (p.m.) every day. I'm trying to say goodbye. And keep the throat clear."

He was seemingly without emotion as he met with the media, but back in the clubhouse, there were plenty of hugs as well as some tears. Casey McGehee, who hit behind Fielder for most of the last three seasons, shared a long, tearful embrace with the slugger as he made his way out.

His impact on the club has been special, manager Ron Roenicke said.

"Having a guy hitting fourth for you that can do the things he can do, on-base percentage, average, power, RBI, a leader in the clubhouse, it's hard to say where we would be without him this year," Roenicke said. "(He's) a huge part of why we're here."

The team's first-round draft choice in 2002 (No. 17 overall), Fielder's legacy in Milwaukee will be almost as big as his jersey. A three-time All-Star, Fielder won the 2009 Home Run Derby and was named the game's Most Valuable Player this past summer in Phoenix.

In 2007, just his second in the majors, he won both the Silver Slugger and National League Hank Aaron Awards after setting the franchise record with 50 home runs – the youngest player in baseball history to hit 50 in a season.

He holds the franchise single-season records for RBI (141), intentional walks (32) and is second in team history with 230 home runs, a .540 slugging percentage and .929 OPS.

Fielder's career numbers include a .282 batting average, 230 homers, 656 RBI and 200 doubles.

If he does leave, he does so without fulfilling his main goal, both from a personal and team standpoint.

"I envisioned us winning the World Series," said Fielder. "I'm not mad about this year. It is what it is. We played hard. We had a great year as a team.

"We didn't get to where we wanted to go. We gave it all we could. As long as you play as hard as you can, you can live with it. Now it's time to play with the kids."

Some have speculated that Fielder could command as much as $200 million on the open market, easily surpassing the eight years and $180 million the Yankees gave Mark Teixeira, the $154 million over seven years Adrian Gonzalez got from Boston or five-year $125 million deal Ryan Howard signed with Philadelphia.

With Scott Boras handling the negotiations, the bidding could real high real fast.

Fielder is believed to have already turned down a multi-year deal worth in excess of $120 million but the Brewers aren't going to sit idle while baseball executives gas up the brinks trucks for a chance to land Fielder.

"We're planning on participating in the sweepstakes," said Brewers owner Attanasio.

And with that, Fielder said his goodbyes, and with with sons alongside, walked out of Miller Park one more time. Whether or not he returns, only he knows for sure.

"It's been cool," Fielder said of his time in Milwaukee. "Every year has been a learning experience ... It's been cool, man. Hopefully I'm here for many years to come.

"But if not, it's been cool."