San Francisco Giants 2012: The Case for Albert Pujols

Before you dismiss the idea of Albert Pujols in a Giants uniform, consider this: The defending world champs, though very likely to miss the playoffs in 2011, have sold out every home game this season.

Revenues from ticket and merchandise sales are through the roof, and the projected payroll is scheduled to decrease by $46 million for 2012.

In the first of several articles to come entitled "San Francisco Giants 2012", here's a look at "The Case for Albert Pujols."

1. With so Many One-Hit Offensive Wonders, Lineup Not Sufficient Even with Posey

Andres Torres and Aubrey Huff had unexpectedly productive seasons in 2010, with Torres having a career year, and Huff rebounding after becoming offensively dormant in 2009.

The Giants also got a career year from Juan Uribe in 2010, and even had Uribe remained a Giant in 2011 instead of going to Los Angeles, he would have joined Torres and Huff with mediocre offensive seasons in 2011.

Torres is hitting just .223 with three home runs, 18 RBI and a .309 on-base percentage this season. Huff, after hitting 26 home runs and driving in 86 in 2010, is hitting .241 with 12 home runs and 55 RBI in 2011.

And Uribe has only played in 77 games for the Dodgers due to injury, and is hitting .204 with four home runs and 28 RBI after hitting 24 homers and driving in 85 for San Francisco in 2010.

With the only consistent Giants hitter being Pablo Sandoval this season (.296, 18 HR, 55 RBI, .340 OBP), the anticipated returns of Freddy Sanchez and Buster Posey—while undoubtedly helpful to a woeful offense—will not be enough to make the Giants certain contenders for a world championship.

2. Aubrey Huff Is Not Dependable

After leading the Giants in home runs and RBI in 2010, the front office rewarded their first baseman with a three-year, $22 million contract extension.

After a very disappointing showing in 2011, Huff has proven to be unreliable, and unreliability is not something a world championship-caliber club can afford.

If the Giants want to be a sure contender in 2012, management will have to consider taking with Huff the route it took with Miguel Tejada and Aaron Rowand—eating money from their remaining salaries to cut them loose.

San Francisco's top brass will need to seriously consider the Giants' future relationship with Aubrey Huff even if they don't make a play for Albert Pujols, as Huff just isn't getting the job done.

A trade should be in Huff's near future.

3. Pablo Sandoval Doesn't Walk Enough to Hit Third in the Lineup

Pablo Sandoval has been San Francisco's most consistent hitter in 2011, returning to the ferociously-fearsome offensive force he was in 2009 after losing 40 pounds in the offseason.

But as fantastic a hitter as Sandoval has been, one element that makes him ill-suited to hit out of the No. 3 spot in a major league lineup is his penchant for swinging at bad pitches.

To be fair, Sandoval hits many of them, and hits them well. But hitting in front of a cleanup man, whose job is to drive in runs, requires a patient approach at the plate and a discerning eye, which leads to a high on-base percentage.

Sandoval has only walked 27 times in 361 at-bats this season, suppressing his on-base percentage (.340) despite his good offensive numbers in other categories.

Bringing in Albert Pujols would give the Giants a three-four combination of Pujols and Posey, or vice versa.

We all know that Pujols is a feared hitter with a good eye (103 walks in 2010), and Posey, while he didn't walk all that much in his rookie year, is not nearly as free-swinging at bad balls as Sandoval.

4. Albert Pujols Is Still Only 31

Albert Pujols has been in the league so long that his veteran status makes us think of him as older than he actually is.

But Pujols is still just 31 years old. By contrast, Aubrey Huff is 34, Andres Torres is 33, and Freddy Sanchez is also 33.

Pujols, despite an injury-shortened 2011 thus far, has showed no signs of slowing down, continuing to put up gaudy numbers year-in and year-out.

Last season, at age 30, Pujols hit .312 with 42 home runs and 118 RBI. In his 10-year big league career thus far, Pujols has never had a season in which he had fewer than 32 homers and 103 RBI.

5. From 2008-2010, Pujols Hit .457 at AT&T Park

Albert Pujols loves to hit at AT&T Park, and that's a real rarity given the pitching-friendly dimensions and elite pitching staff that the Giants have.

From 2008-2010, Pujols was 16-for-35 (.457) with four home runs, seven RBI, a .548 on-base percentage and a .914 slugging percentage at the ballpark by the Bay.

There isn't another visiting ballpark in the league in which Pujols has had better success in.

6. The Giants Need a Sure Thing Offensively to Retain Lincecum and Cain

Much has been made in 2011 about how the individual stats of Giants starters have suffered immensely because of San Francisco's anemic offense.

Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, both anchors of one of the best pitching staffs in the game and the cornerstones of San Francisco's recent success, are rapidly approaching free agency (Cain in 2013 and Lincecum in 2014), and if the Giants want to keep them in the Orange and Black, they'll need to give them run support.

The best way to guarantee that run support is by acquiring a hitter that San Francisco's front office knows can produce at AT&T Park (and anywhere else for that matter).

In the 2011 free agent class, that man is Albert Pujols.

Pujols could be the draw that pushes the Giants over the top in negotiations with Lincecum and Cain, especially when the Red Sox and Yankees are prepared to offer large contracts for the two elite starters to move eastward when the time comes.

7. Pujols Would Be a Great Addition to the Clubhouse

Albert Pujols has always been a model teammate and clubhouse presence. And on a team that prides itself on a selfless, team-centric atmosphere, Pujols would fit in well.

8. The Market for Hitters This Offseason Is Thin

The free-agent market this offseason will not have a very bountiful crop of hitters.

Besides Albert Pujols, the only other real marquee power hitter out there will be Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Pujols is preferable to Fielder for several reasons.

First, Pujols has proven consistent over a longer period of time (10 seasons to Fielder's six).

Pujols also has a significantly higher career batting average than Fielder (.329 to Fielder's .281), which will help when playing in a home ballpark that is not relatively home run-friendly.

Pujols also has a much higher career on-base percentage (.421 to Fielder's .388).

Finally, Pujols is in much better shape than Fielder, making him a better investment despite the four-year age difference.

9. The Giants Should Be Able to Afford Pujols

With what is very likely going to be a record in revenues for the San Francisco Giants in 2011 following a world championship in 2010, with one of the most beautiful ballparks in the country, and with enough panda and giraffe hats to operate the San Francisco Zoo, an acquisition of Albert Pujols is a real possibility.

Furthermore, San Francisco's payroll is scheduled to decrease by $46 million in 2012, and another $50 million or so in 2013.

The argument that the Giants can't afford Albert Pujols, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain over the next three years is quickly becoming baseless.

If the Giants don't make a splash this winter to acquire a big bat for the middle of the order, it may be closer to the truth to say that the front office was unwilling, not unable, to pull the trigger.

10. If Giants Pass on Pujols, Championship Window of Opportunity Gets Smaller

If the Giants pass on Albert Pujols this offseason, their window of opportunity for winning another world championship gets considerably smaller very quickly, as the likelihood of their best arms leaving for greener offensive pastures such as Boston and New York, increases exponentially.

Without investing in a big bat this offseason, the Giants could be resigning their fate to several more seasons in which they are unable to go deep into the postseason, and lose fans as a result.

Lost fans equal lost revenue, and lost revenue equals the inability to sign a star like Pujols in the future.

The Giants must answer one key question: is this franchise going to be financially frugal and try to duplicate what has now proven to be lightning in a bottle from 2010, or is it going to thrust itself into the upper echelon of MLB teams, along with the Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees?

Now is the time for San Francisco, and after a long list of bad investments by Giants management (see: Edgardo Alfonso, Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand, Miguel Tejada, etc.), there may not be a better investment in baseball today than Albert Pujols.

Imagine for a Moment ...

A possible Opening Day lineup for the 2012 San Francisco Giants:

1. Justin Christian - CF

2. Freddy Sanchez - 2B

3. Buster Posey - C

4. Albert Pujols - 1B

5. Pablo Sandoval - 3B

6. Brandon Belt - LF

7. Nate Schierholtz - RF

8. Brandon Crawford - SS

9. Tim Lincecum - P

Albert Pujols taking the field at AT&T Park in a home uniform is not outside the realm of possibility, and the ball is now in the Giants' court (if you'll indulge the cross-sport metaphor).