Monday, February 21, 2011

Some thoughts on Pujols' contract.

Here in the shadow of Busch III, all is not well.  Now that Albert has reported to Spring Training without a contract extension, St. Louis is on pins and needles.  Presumably, this will continue throughout the season and into Pujols' free agency

As we sit here today on February 20th, I think that the Cardinals are still the favorite to land Pujols.  The guy has said that he wants to retire a Cardinal.  His family is here.  His restaurant is here.  He does a lot for the community.  Despite all of this, Pujols in a Cardinals jersey in 2012 is far from a done deal.  Cardinals brass needs to put forth a tremendous effort...probably more than other teams.  Pressure to keep the best player in baseball is tenfold more intense than trying to steal him away.

If you have spent any time in St. Louis over the past few weeks, you have certainly felt the tension.  Some fans are in a panic.  The "Best Fans in Baseball" need to come to grips with a few issues.  Nobody...NOBODY..would be willing to give a hometown discount on the order of $50 - 100 million and 2-3 years on a contract.  It's not going to happen and I would lose respect for Albert if he did accept those terms.  Also, why does Pujols need to be altruistic and take a lesser contract just to stop the excessive spending on player salaries?  That trend would last until the next future HOF'er comes up for a contract extension.  Where were you when A-Rod was negotiating his contract.

Pujols will get paid...by one team or another.  Odds are it will be the Cardinals.  That's not, however, guaranteed.

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