Albert Pujols to the Angels

[gingi79]

I love Chipper, but at times I wish he would go to a AL team and DH for another 3 or 4 years to get 3000 hits and 500 HRs

A very interesting idea. As long as it wasn't the Yankees.....I don't think I could take that.

Maybe instead of Dale Murphy being the one Braves fans now believe is should be in the HOF because of Ron Santo, wouldn't Chipper be a better comparison?

[70to66]

Albert has been the face of the franchise most of his career, he has never been my favorite Cardinal. I usually like the scrappy players like Vina & Eckstein and Wainwright is my favorite current player. Albert has done a lot thru his giving side helping kids with down syndrome and I hate to see that side of him go. Like I said before I wish him and his family the best and at the end of the day realize its a business.

[OaklandAsFan]

It was a little bit harder to leave your team when Musial played.

exactly, I love hearing people talk about how players stayed with their team their whole careers back in the day. THEY HAD NO CHOICE!!! They were basically slaves.

[onlyalbert]

exactly, I love hearing people talk about how players stayed with their team their whole careers back in the day. THEY HAD NO CHOICE!!! They were basically slaves.

That's why it is so much more important for a player today to do it. If Jordan could do it over do you think he would be a Wizard? Not only will he never be Musial he will never be Ripken, Jeter, Rivera, Tulo, Mauer etc. I think the thing that hurts the most is, being a traditionalist, I wanted to see what his numbers would've been with only one team in the end. Also, we have to now watch him get 3,000 maybe 4,000 and 500, 600, maybe 700 in another uniform. Cards fans feel cheated and his comments about wanting to be on a winning team with winning teamates and it not being about money and God will lead him in the right direction.....c'mon!

[OaklandAsFan]

hey at least the uniforms are both red and white

[Birdbats]

The crying poor comment was how they portrayed their team and city as a smaller market and their constraints on spending. I dont buy it. The market is what you create. ST Louis attendance is robust, advertising is evident, TV rights are owned by the team.

I'm sure it looks good on the outside, but this is a small market team. Yes, we fill the stadium, but you'd probably be shocked to know how many of those tickets are discounted or even free. Ad revenues and TV revenues also are small potatoes compared to markets on the coast (just look at that deal the Angels have, which makes the Pujols signing possible). There are revenues from concessions, but little from parking. As you know, merchandising is put into the MLB pot and split 30 ways, and post-season revenues aren't all that great because teams don't get squat unless the series goes beyond the minimum number of games. I'm sure the Cardinals are profitable, but they're not printing money.

And yes, the franchise is worth much more today than it was in '96. But, that's an unrealized capital gain. If the Cardinals gave Pujols a contract leveraged against the team's value, it would be the first franchise in history to base a contract on it's balance sheet instead of its P&L. I don't think there's any way Pujols gets the Angels offer without their new TV deal in place, or he gets the Marlin's offer without the new stadium.

We know this morning that the Cards first offer to Pujols after the season was five years at $26M per. I'm confident that could have been negotiated up to make Albert the highest paid player on an AAV basis. I assume the Cardinals were thinking, "Let's make him the highest-paid player, which is what he deserves, for what should be his last five productive years as a position player; then when he's 37, either negotiate a new deal that works for both sides or let him finish his career in the AL as a DH." If that's the case, I can't say I would have done anything differently. He should be the highest paid, but he shouldn't be making top dollar at 37. I'm firmly on the team's side.

At the same time, I don't blame Albert at all. When I was 31, I was invincible. I'd guess someone with his skills is many times more confident than I was. He probably thinks that he's different, that because he's so great, time won't catch up with him like it did everyone else (who wasn't juiced). He's not thinking like a team owner, who understands Albert's production in his late 30s wouldn't justify the salary and would handcuff the team. He's thinking like a young man with an ego and the ability to hit a baseball like few ever have. Presented with five years at $28 per or 10 years at $25.4 per, I'm sure when I was 31 that I'd be on my way to Anaheim, too. So, I can't call him selfish -- especially knowing how much of his salary will be used to help others. I'll simply acknowledge that, as mature as Albert seems at times, he can't help but think like a 31-year-old.

We won't know for years how this actually will work out. But, I have to wonder if, someday, when he's older and wiser and reflecting back on the past week, Albert might have regrets about not staying in St. Louis five more years as the highest paid player in history.

[OaklandAsFan]

Pujols should be the highest paid player no doubt but his contract should have been structured opposite the way most of them are these days. He should have had his highest paid years NOW and have the yearly value go down as the years went by so when he is a 42 year old shell of his former self he wouldn't be paid a ridiculous amount of money that may prevent a team from signing a key piece.

I understand why teams structure them this way, pay him little now and when it gets too expensive unload him to another team but with a NTC and a 10 year personal services contract for when he retires, realistically this would have been the best way to go.

[camarokids]

When the Cardinal fans get over their initial hurt, they will realize this is smart move to let him go. He is not worth a ten year contract. This will be a bad move for the LAA of Anaheim Orange County California ...... Anything short of a World Series victory in 2012 will be considered a failure for the Angels and Pujols!

Who was the hero of the 2011 World Series? A young man named David Freese! Who got the clutch hits that won the WS? David Freese!

What did Pujols do in the 2011 World Series? He hit 3 Home runs in a lopsided win when the pressure was off to produce.

Albert is good, but not that good!

2004 WS 5 for 15 with a .333 BA no HR's and no RBI's
2006 WS 3 for 15 with a .200 BA 1 HR and 2 RBI's
2011 WS 6 for 24 with a .240 BA 3 HR's and 6 RBI's (all HR & RBI came in one game)

Hardly impressive stats in the World Series for one, who is being called the best player/hitter ever.....

[Manram]

When the Cardinal fans get over their initial hurt, they will realize this is smart move to let him go. He is not worth a ten year contract. This will be a bad move for the LAA of Anaheim Orange County California ...... Anything short of a World Series victory in 2012 will be considered a failure for the Angels and Pujols!

Who was the hero of the 2011 World Series? A young man named David Freese! Who got the clutch hits that won the WS? David Freese!

What did Pujols do in the 2011 World Series? He hit 3 Home runs in a lopsided win when the pressure was off to produce.

Albert is good, but not that good!

2004 WS 5 for 15 with a .333 BA no HR's and no RBI's
2006 WS 3 for 15 with a .200 BA 1 HR and 2 RBI's
2011 WS 6 for 24 with a .240 BA 3 HR's and 6 RBI's (all HR & RBI came in one game)

Hardly impressive stats in the World Series for one, who is being called the best player/hitter ever.....

All you are talking about is the postseason, which although it is important look at his regular season stats! Also last year in the world series look at what the people hitting behind pujols did. Holliday did terrible...... his stats could be easily because teams had no problem walking him and he may have chased pitches and what not.

[OaklandAsFan]

When the Cardinal fans get over their initial hurt, they will realize this is smart move to let him go. He is not worth a ten year contract. This will be a bad move for the LAA of Anaheim Orange County California ...... Anything short of a World Series victory in 2012 will be considered a failure for the Angels and Pujols!

Who was the hero of the 2011 World Series? A young man named David Freese! Who got the clutch hits that won the WS? David Freese!

What did Pujols do in the 2011 World Series? He hit 3 Home runs in a lopsided win when the pressure was off to produce.

Albert is good, but not that good!

2004 WS 5 for 15 with a .333 BA no HR's and no RBI's
2006 WS 3 for 15 with a .200 BA 1 HR and 2 RBI's
2011 WS 6 for 24 with a .240 BA 3 HR's and 6 RBI's (all HR & RBI came in one game)

Hardly impressive stats in the World Series for one, who is being called the best player/hitter ever.....

You can't say Pujols had nothing to do with it. Pujols caused issues just because he is Pujols. I'm a firm believer that if Wash had chosen to pitch to Albert in game 6 the Rangers would have been home celebrating a championship instead of playing game 7. Instead because he is Albert and Wash stated he wasn't going to let Albert beat him, so no matter the fact that Albert hadn't done squat he walked him to pitch to Berkman who had been on fire and hits better from the left side of the plate.
Yes Freese was the hero but without the aura of Albert he wouldn't have had the chance to do what he did in game 6 and 7.