Albert Pujols: 10 Reasons Cardinals' Slugger Won't Finish Career in St. Louis
Albert Pujols is the face of the St. Louis Cardinals and the superstar of his era. In fact, he’s likely up there with Ozzie Smith and others who are considered Cardinals legends. As a result, when he asked for a Spring Training deadline to negotiate a contract extension, I figured they would be able to get it done.
Instead, with less than two weeks to go until that deadline is up, negotiations are not going well. The talks are being held in private, so this could very well be smoke and mirrors, but if he does end up becoming a free agent, there is a very real possibility that he will be gone when the 2012 season begins.
I would love to see Albert Pujols finish his career in St. Louis and stick with one team for his entire career. Having said that, here are 10 reasons why he will not finish his career with the Cardinals.
10. Time Is Money
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Albert Pujols is in the final year of his contract. The last thing the Cardinals should want is for this to extend into free agency, and that may end up happening.
Why would going into free agency be so bad? The answer is obvious: everyone will want him, and moving into free agency will spike up the price of his deal.
If the Cardinals want to sign Pujols to a deal that both acknowledges him as the best hitter in the game and does not kill the team, they need to do it within the next week, and if negotiations are bad right now, that’s bad news for Cardinals fans.
9. Future DH
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Pujols is a very good first baseman, and he has a couple Gold Gloves to show for it (if you consider Gold Gloves for first baseman a big deal). He will not be able to play at first base forever, and moving to an AL team and becoming a part-time DH could add another three to four years to his career and could be the difference between hitting a milestone or two.
8. Sponsorship Opportunities
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Personally, I think this one is a load, but those who want Pujols to play in a big media market will use this in their argument.
St. Louis is a decent media market, but if he played in New York, Boston, Chicago or LA, he could really see the money roll in, and it may end up being an offer he can’t refuse.
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7. Tony LaRussa
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Tony LaRussa and Albert Pujols have a great relationship, there’s no question about that. As long as LaRussa remains the coach of the Cardinals, then Pujols will consider St. Louis the place he wants to play.
Having said that, LaRussa cannot coach forever, though he’s certainly trying to remain head coach as long as he can. He has an option for 2012, but his contract also expires in 2011. If he decides to call it a day, it makes it much easier for Pujols to leave if he gets a great offer.
6. At His Peak
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Albert Pujols has been the greatest player in the game the past 10 years. He has three MVP Awards, three second-place finishes, a career low batting average in a season of .312, and for that matter, only one season with an OBP under .400, not to mention the 40+ HR and 115+ RBI each year.
He’s been so good that he will understandably want to be paid like he’s deserved with those stats. However, we have to keep in mind that after a decade of being elite, Pujols has nowhere to go but down, and the Cardinals may not want to pay $30 million a year for a player on that path.
5. Might Want Too Long a Deal
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Despite what I just noted about the possibility of Pujols slowing down, the fact of the matter is he has not just yet. As a result, a nine- or 10-year deal is not only possible, but it’s likely that’s what Pujols wants.
Would the Cardinals want to wrap up Pujols for 10 years? We have seen it turn ugly for Carlos Lee and Todd Helton, who have stopped producing yet still have a couple years left in their deals. The Cardinals may be worried about that effect and won’t go past five to seven years.
4. Dan Lozano
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Dan Lozano is Albert Pujols’ agent. The good thing about that is his agent is not Scott Boras, but that doesn’t mean Lozano will take a bad deal if that’s all he’s seeing for his client.
If he knows Pujols can crack $300 million on the open market, and the best the Cardinals are offering is an eight-year, $210 million deal, then he may recommend Pujols give free agency a shot.
3. Payroll Issues
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This is a surprisingly big issue for the Cardinals even though they have a sizable payroll. If they were to sign Pujols to a $30 million a year deal, what would happen with all the other contracts?
Chris Carpenter is 35 but can still pitch and might want a good two- or three-year deal from the Cards, on top of the $15 million option in 2012. Adam Wainwright will be in line for a major contract in 2013 or 2014, and if Pujols and Matt Holliday have all the money, they may not be able to pay him or other rising stars in the organization. The Cardinals will likely have to choose between Pujols and others on their roster.
2. Many Willing To Give Him Huge Deal
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If Pujols does end up going into the free agent market, then he may rocket out of the Cardinals’ price range. Simply put, teams will be paying top dollar and then some to acquire Pujols. In fact, the big-market teams will be in prime position to acquire Pujols in 2012.
The Cubs signed Carlos Pena to a one-year deal and could put Pujols right in that spot. The Red Sox have David Ortiz at DH, but he may not have too many years left. The Yankees will have the ancient Jorge Posada spending time at DH next year, so they could acquire Pujols and find a way to combine Teixiera and Pujols in the lineup. All three could bid on him and end up making his contract ridiculous.
1. No One Stays in One Place Anymore
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Sadly, in the world of baseball, no one spends time on one team any more. The Cal Ripkens, Tony Gwynns and Derek Jeters are few and far between. Think of the greatest players in the past 15-20 years. Ken Griffey, Jr., Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, Roberto Alomar, Roy Halladay, CC Sabathia.
These are all players who have played with at least two teams, and many have played with three or more. Yes, Ichiro, Chipper Jones and others quell this rumor to a certain extent, and I hope Pujols follows their example. Nonetheless, it happens so rarely, it seems inevitable that he’ll try to be great elsewhere.
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