Albert Pujols Free Agent News: 5 Ways He's a Horrible Fit for the Chicago Cubs

Jonathan Papelbon was the first free agent shoe to drop last Friday. He's far from the biggest though. 

There really are only two "big shoes" in the free agent market this offseason. Sure, Jose Reyes will be a nice signing as will C.J. Wilson, but for surefire magnitude there are only two names to know. 

Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. 

As baseball seems to be entering an era of improved pitching great hitters will become more valuable and these are two of baseball's very best. They're available—for a hefty price. 

Both men are first basemen and both are coming off great seasons. For Pujols, it was great by everyone's standards except for perhaps the lofty ones that he's already set over the course of a spectacular 11-year career.

For Fielder, 2011 was arguably his best. There are some teams that these two men won't be fielding big offers from; there are many others that will of course come calling. The Chicago Cubs are likely to pursue both feverishly. Fielder seems like a more logical choice for the Cubs, but one never knows. 

For Pujols, heading to Chicago from St.Louis would represent taking on challenges he has yet to face in the 11 years he's been in major league baseball. It might not work—it could but it would seem foolish for Pujols to take on the extra challenges even after a wildly successful run in St. Louis 

Why is Pujols a bad fit in Chicago? 

More Money, More Problems

If Albert Pujols were to leave St. Louis to play first base in Chicago, it would require a number of things to transpire. Among them is that a ton of money would have to be offered. The rumor is that St. Louis has already offered a deal in the neighborhood of nine years and $220 million. 

Pujols probably won't leave for a deal that's around that much. He'd have to be blown away. Think 10 years and $250 million or more. 

Were he to sign such a deal, it would create a number of things but among the most immediate would be massive expectations. Pujols would instantly become the cure for all Cubs ills. 

Pujols enjoyed the life of a beloved superstar in St. Louis. If he goes to Chicago, people won't just expect results, they'll feel entitled to demand them, and not producing will eventually produce much more discord than he's is used to at this point in his career. 

The Cubs Need More Than Just a First Baseman

The Cubs, despite a brand new set of owners and a new high profile front office led by President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, are actually a bit of a mess.

The Cubs have a really bright young prospect in Starlin Castro at shortstop and also have a very nice starting pitcher in Matt Garza. The rest of the team?

Some are overpriced but productive players, like Alfonso Soriano. Some are overpriced and counterproductive, such as Carlos Zambrano.

Lots of needs, lots of openings, and as good a front office presence as Epstein is, if the Cubs were to spend in the area of $250 million on Albert Pujols, then that doesn't leave too much spending money for the rest of the team.

If Pujols is the final piece of the puzzle to win a World Series, then it makes total sense. If he's not, then there's little reason to sign a player already into his 30s for both a ton of money and a ton of years. If the Cubs were going to lavish such a contract on anyone, it may as well be Prince Fielder who is about four years younger.

Pujols shouldn't be part of a rebuilding effort. He's not used to that.  

The LeBron Factor

Back in the good old days when the NBA actually played basketball games, there was a fantastic series of games called " The NBA Finals." This past season featured a star-studded Miami Heat team squaring off against the Dallas Mavericks. 

The Heat featured LeBron James who was in his first season in Miami. Prior to that he was a player who was absolutely beloved by the city of Cleveland. That's because he was a player drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, and he had spent the entirety of his impressive career playing in Cleveland. 

Pujols—like James—has never played anywhere but for his original team. His legacy is in St. Louis. The fans in St. Louis are in most cases counting on his return to the Cardinals. The same was the case with regards to LeBron and Cleveland. 

It didn't work out that way though. LeBron left Cleveland, and the city unleashed an outpouring of anger at him. One can argue about the validity of that, but one would be hard-pressed to anger about whether it actually happened. 

If Pujols leaves St. Louis, he will elicit lots of negative emotions from Cardinals fans. If he were to leave for the Chicago Cubs? It would be apocalyptic.

Pujols doesn't seem like a guy who gets fazed by much, but LeBron sure seemed off at times over the course of his first season in Miami.

Is Pujols prepared to endure an endless stream of hate-filled columns, radio shows, TV clips and of course Cardinal-Cubs games with tons of booing St. Louis fans?

It doesn't have to be that way, but if he goes to the Cubs then it will be.  

Spending the Last Years of Your Career on Mediocre Cubs Teams Won't Be Fun

Pujols might be seduced by the temptation of riches but as far as most observers can tell he's had a pretty decent run in St. Louis. 

The 2001 Rookie Of The Year, nine all-star appearances, three MVP awards, three World Series appearances and two rings. To say it's been a good run is a bit of an understatement. 

None of that will matter in Chicago. Once he becomes a Cub he will be - or could be a victim of the "what have you done for me lately" attitude of some sports fans. 

If the Cubs make the playoffs and lose it will be "why didn't we make the National League Championship. If they make the NLCS then why not the World Series? If they make the series and then lose then there will be tons of questions. Don't believe me? Ask Ron Washington who's taken a team that had never made the World Series as of 2010 to two consecutive World Series since then. The Rangers have lost both and plenty of Ranger fans are calling for Washington who is easily the most successful manager in Texas Rangers history to be fired. 

If the Cardinals don't repeat next season with Pujols as a member of the team it will be okay. The fans won't like it but they'll understand. They know the Cards can't win every year but they do win with regularity and they compete annually. That type of introspective viewpoint won't be afforded to a Pujols led Cubs team especially if Pujols is making 25 million dollars a year into the next decade. 

Albert Might Not Be What Theo Is Looking for

Among the many rumored reasons for Theo Epstein's departure from Boston, one of them was a contentious relationship with Red Sox President Larry Lucchino. They didn't always see eye-to-eye on everything, and since Lucchino was Epstein's boss, that didn't always sit so well with him. 

Now Theo is the president, but he's not the owner. The Cubs owners have publicly said all the right things regarding Theo's control over the day-to-day operations of the Cubs. That doesn't mean that a new owner, such as billionaire Tom Ricketts, might fall prey to the temptation of the headline-grabbing hoopla that would accompany a Pujols signing. 

"The key is to pay for future performance, not past performance," he told ESPN when introduced as president of baseball operations for the Cubs. 

Like it or not with Pujols now at 31 years old, a contract of eight to 10 years would be going against the above quote. Pujols may be one of the greatest players to ever play baseball, but that doesn't change the fact that all indications are that his best seasons may be behind him. 

Last season was his third consecutive season in which his batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage declined. His cumulative stats such as home runs, runs batted in and hits were all down for the third straight season. 

His numbers were still very good. If he plateaus at his current level, he's going to finish his career with some of the greatest numbers ever. 

That doesn't make him worth $25 million a year though. Would Epstein contradict a statement made in his very first press conference as president of the Cubs with his very first major free agent signing? Not likely, and if it did happen, it wouldn't make Pujols' stay in Chicago any easier.