Albert Pujols' Free Agency and the Most Boring 'Sweepstakes' Ever

Albert Pujols is going to be a free agent at the end of this season, just in case you haven't heard about that yet.

Because of that, everybody is getting excited for maybe one of the biggest contracts ever. The rumors are approaching a $300 million deal.

However, what are we going to do if it is boring? What will we do if he's quickly snatched up by another team and no drama can build up?

Nobody wants that, but here are a few times in the past where big free agents became boring.

Jayson Werth

I know I have complained a lot about his contract in the past. However, right now the problem is not that the Nationals wasted their money.

The problem with this deal was it came early on in the free-agent season. He signed a contract on Dec. 5. He was one of the biggest free agents on the market last winter, and he was off the market way too quickly.

He made a lot of money, so that probably helped make his decision, but it is kind of boring when top free agents go off the market quickly without very much speculation.

Alex Rodriguez

The somewhat infamous moment came in the winter of 2000 when Alex Rodriguez signed a 10-year, $252 million contract. Again, I am not bashing Rodriguez here because he was just taking the contract that was offered to him.

The reason I think this one was boring was because of the outrageously high price. When you offer the largest contract in history, very few teams will be willing to go that high.

Again, Rodriguez just took the money that was offered, but when contracts get that high, it begins to get a little bit boring.

Nolan Ryan

Nolan Ryan is one of the best pitchers ever play baseball. However, his free agency in the winter of 1979 was not very exciting.

According to the Encyclopedia of World Biography, Ryan "still longed for his native Texas." When that was combined with the fact that he ended up becoming the first-million dollar per-year pitcher in baseball with the Houston Astros, everyone must have known where he was going.

He signed with Houston on Nov. 19, so he did not waste any time, either. It must have been kind of boring to watch the situation when the move to Houston gave him everything he wanted.

So, What Does This Mean about Albert Pujols?

I think that Albert Pujols could in fact be an exciting race. The Chicago Cubs have been in the wings apparently waiting for this to happen so that they can move in.

Think about the rivalry between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. I think the Cubs are tired of being behind the Cardinals just about every year. If they can steal away the leader of the Cardinals, they would do that at a very high price.

On the other hand, the Cardinals are not just going to let Pujols walk. First of all, the fans would be irate, but the Cardinals should want him back because he is one of the best hitters in recent history.

Who knows who else will be involved with this race? The more potential bidders that enter the race, the higher the price tag is probably going to go.

It is important for the price tag not to go too high such that one team is so far ahead that it seems like a no-brainer. Also, I hope that it takes a little bit of time so that the excitement can build. I don't want to remake this list next year and have this deal on it.