Albert Pujols: 10 Reasons He'll Be Staying With the St. Louis Cardinals
Albert Pujols, the best hitter in all of baseball, the man no one thought would reach free agency, appears to be headed in that direction barring "a miracle," according to sources in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
The sweet-swinging first baseman appears set to become a free agent at the end of the 2011 season, as his contract negotiating deadline is set to pass at noon Wednesday.
But don't think that Pujols' presence on the open market means that he's headed out of St. Louis. In fact, most baseball people still think that the slugger isn't going anywhere.
For further proof that Pujols is staying put, we're bringing you 10 reasons why you'll be seeing him in a Cardinals uniform this season.
10. The Players Union
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Cardinals manager Tony La Russa laid into the MLBPA on Tuesday, telling reporters that they were pushing Pujols to troll for more money. Maybe, just maybe, that's true.
But now that the theory is out there, doesn't it make sense for the union to do just the opposite with the slugger? Not that they'd tell him to sign for less money, but rather, that they'd encourage him to sign the very lucrative contract to keep people from blaming them.
After all, the union has been the victim of plenty of bad publicity before, and there's no doubt he's going to be the highest-paid player in baseball, regardless of how things play out.
So why not have him sign the offer, keep the rumblings of bum-rushing Pujols out of Busch Field nothing more than bunk and keep your reputation intact?
9. The Team Is Built Around Him
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The Cardinals are a good team with talent at multiple positions and good hitters spread throughout their lineup.
But anyone with half a brain can see that this team was built around its megastar slugger. Matt Holliday is a talented hitter, as is Colby Rasmus, but neither of them is capable of doing the things that Pujols can do.
If a team is so focused around one star, how does it make sense to let that star walk in free agency?
8. There's No Replacement in the Minors
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It would be tough for the Cardinals to find an equivalent replacement for Pujols; after all, it's not every day you find one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, and you never find more than one of them at a time.
But the Cardinals don't even have a major league-ready prospect in the minors who could be plugged in and produce at first base if Pujols leaves.
Their only position player in my top 100 prospects, third baseman Zack Cox, could be shifted to first, but he's at least two years from the majors and far from a sure thing.
Without another true slugger in their minor league system, it's going to be tough for the Cards to let Pujols walk.
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7. It's in Everyone's Best Interest
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Let me ask you something: If Pujols leaves St. Louis via free agency after this season (he's already told the Cards that he'll reject any trade), who wins?
Pujols becomes yet another superstar who chased more millions at the price of his reputation. The Cardinals become the skinflints who wouldn't pay the man his market value and let him get away.
So why would either side not want to get a deal done?
6. He's Not LeBron James
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Pujols isn't in this for the fame. He's easily the least visible megastar in sports right now and isn't interested in maximizing his marketing potential.
He's actually loyal and has never wavered in his commitment to his team. It's why he's ending contract negotiations before spring training starts.
Albert won't be giving us "The Decision: Part Deux"—and given what we know about him, he's not about to rip out the hearts of Cardinals fans everywhere.
5. John Mozeliak Isn't Stupid
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The Cards' general manager is no dummy; he's fully aware of the implications of all of this.
He knows what Albert means to his team, knows what he means to the fans.
The last thing he wants to do is lowball his slugger and make him leave. His reputation is at stake here, and he knows it.
Look for him to make sure it stays intact.
4. They Can Afford It
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The Cardinals have known this day was coming for a long time. They've had the end of the 2011 season marked on every calendar in their offices since the instant Pujols signed his last contract.
In other words, they've had plenty of time to save up and prepare for this day and to get ready to drop some serious cash on their slugger.
In other words, there should be no financial reason why St. Louis can't get this deal done.
3. The Cardinals Want to Keep Him
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Typically, when a team lets its superstar go, it's because of two things: finances or lack of desire to keep them.
We've already covered the financial concerns, and if you think the Cards don't want Pujols, you're kidding yourself.
He's the best player in baseball, the consummate teammate and one of the few true role models left in sports.
Why wouldn't they want him?
If they want him, odds are good they'll make it happen.
2. The Fans
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Let's say Pujols leaves the Cardinals. Sure, the team is affected, but the fans, who rank as some of the best and most knowledgeable in all of baseball, would revolt in a nanosecond.
By revolt, I mean that ticket sales, jersey sales and memorabilia sales would plummet, and the remaining fans would lose faith in management and might not come back for quite a while.
They would never forgive management for letting their star player who wants to stay with the team walk.
While the Cardinals can survive Pujols' departure, it'll be tough to weather the disenchantment the fans would undoubtedly levy against them.
1. Albert Wants to Stay
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This is without a doubt the biggest reason why the Cards will be keeping their megastar slugger: He actively wants to stay a Card.
He's told the team that he will reject any trade it proposes and hasn't expressed anything other than an unflinching desire to stay with the team.
When both sides want to stay, and the money is there, you can bet that a deal will get done.
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