Albert Pujols: 3 Reasons Why He Is Worth It For The New York Mets

As was pointed out here yesterday by Frank Gray, the biggest story in baseball at the moment is not the Wilpons' lawsuit and potential sale of the Mets as a result of their relationship with Bernie Madoff. Rather, the biggest story is Albert Pujols and if he will resign with the St. Louis Cardinals before his self-imposed deadline of February 16th.

Frank noted that the Mets likely would not be able to trade for Albert Pujols. But then again, could any team? Pujols’ value is unquantifiable. How can a team determine how much the best player of this generation costs?

It is very rare for the best player of a generation to be traded. Babe Ruth was traded from the Red Sox to the Yankees. It happened with Alex Rodriguez. But in both of these deals, the team that traded away the superstar got little value in return.

If there is one team that may be able to trade for Albert Pujols, it is the Kansas City Royals. They have by far the best farm system in baseball and some promising young players in the majors.

However, the package they would need to put together would need to consist of at least four or five players. But none of this matters as Pujols has said that he will veto any trade. At this point, people are just sitting and waiting as February 16th slowly approaches.

Being in St. Louis as this saga is unfolding, I have seen the fans becoming distressed. They are nervous that there is little information about the talks since both sides agreed to keep all discussions private.

They are trying to do everything they can to pressure the organization into giving Pujols an extension. Albert Pujols means so much to the city of St. Louis and Cardinals fans. They recognize that if a deal is not reached by the end of this week, this will be the final season that they get to see Pujols in a Cardinals uniform.

If Pujols does reach free agency, he will not be staying in St. Louis. If we get to February 17th and a deal has still not been reached, the Mets should start getting ready to have an open check to offer to Pujols after the season.

Granted, there will be significant competition around the league for Pujols’ talent. His price on the free agency market will be higher than what he is asking for from the Cardinals due to the bidding war that is sure to ensue.

There are likely numerous questions that will cross people’s minds as they think about if Pujols truly does fit with the Mets. The first one obviously relates to the Mets current financial situation. If the Wilpons do not sell any of the team, the Mets will have a tough time affording Pujols.

However, this is not a likely situation. The Wilpons will sell part of the team. If someone like Mark Cuban were to be part of an ownership group that buys the Mets, the team will have more than enough money to spend on Pujols. In addition, the Mets could have over $60 million coming off their books this offseason.

This will occur as a result of expiring contracts and the potential buyout of Fransisco Rodriguez’s contract, if he does not hit the clause in his contract that guarantees his option for the 2012 season. The Mets would technically have enough money to resign Jose Reyes and sign Pujols to a big deal as long as the Wilpons sell a portion of the team.

The next question surrounding Pujols has to be in regards to his cost. He is currently asking for between $27 and $30 million a year. This seems like a steep price to pay, even for baseball’s best player. Pujols also wants a deal that could be as long as ten years.

As mentioned above, Pujols’ value is even higher on the open market. It would not be surprising to see him get a ten-year, $330 million dollar deal if a bidding war erupts. This is an incredible cost to any team. This is not exactly unreasonable. According to Fangraphs, Pujols has been worth an average of $35 million to the Cardinals since 2006.

One of the concerns is also the fact that Pujols is currently 31 years old. At the end of a ten-year deal, he would be 41 and it is incredibly unlikely that he would be worth even $20 million. Even if that were the case, if the Mets were to win at least one World Series title during the length of the contract, overpaying at the end of the deal would be worth it.

The third and final question revolves around what the Mets would do with Ike Davis. Obviously if the Mets sign Pujols, he will be their everyday first baseman. This leaves Davis without a position.

There are two potential solutions to this problem. The first, and more favorable solution, would be to move Davis to right field. Davis has had experience in right field in the past. He played his whole freshman year and part of his sophomore year in right. He also played two games in right in the minors. This would allow the Mets to hold on to Davis and keep his outstanding bat on the team.

The other option would be to trade Davis. The Mets could likely get a solid number-two pitcher in return for Davis but this is not the ideal choice. If the Mets were able to resign Jose Reyes and then sign Albert Pujols this offseason, they would have what would be the best lineup in baseball.

There is an argument that a team with a few superstars and many role players cannot be successful. It is based on a myth that ego always interferes and inability to be flexible in payroll issues will handcuff a team. That ultimately leads to failure.

That has been proven false several times. Most recently, the Miami Heat been able to disprove this theory by their solid play. They have a third of their roster tied up in the majority of the payroll. The addition of Pujols with Santana, Reyes and Wright, among a few others, would simulate the same scenario. But it would be worth tying up the payroll for a few exceptional players.

Just imagine the Mets with the following lineup: Jose Reyes SS, Angel Pagan CF, David Wright 3B, Albert Pujols 1B, Jason Bay LF, Ike Davis RF, Daniel Murphy 2B, Josh Thole C, and the pitcher. This lineup would be incredibly intimidating for opposing pitcher. The only easy out would be the pitcher.

Signing Pujols if he were to become a free agent this offseason would be ideal for the Mets. He would give the team instant credibility and he would make the Mets the favorite to win the NL East.

The Mets would consistently be in the playoffs if they were able to sign Pujols. Bringing in Albert Pujols would lead the Mets to their first championship since 1986. If he plunges into the free agency waters, the Mets should dive in after him.

To read all things New York Mets, please visit Mets Gazette.