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Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

attgig Jan 17 2011 09:41 AM

So, there's been a bunch of talk over the past few days about Pujols and his demands that they come together on a contract before the start of spring training. (now if that means when he reports to camp for spring training, or if it means the first game of spring training, i have no clue).. nevertheless, i'm starting to feel that little twinge of excitement that, just possibly, they won't get it done and he'll become a free agent. with the cards payroll not really changing for next year (i'd expect options for carpenter, wainwright, molina to all get picked up), there isn't THAT much money that's going to be freed up for a huge raise that he deserves. their payroll for this coming year is at an all time high. So... that makes me get my hopes up even more... If that happens, and yes, that's a BIG IF. could it be that he becomes a free agent? the mets have tons of money coming off for next year. there would be NO excuse for Sandy to NOT offer an a-rod type contract...and honestly, pujols is the ONLY player that I would want him to offer an arod contract to. could it be?... just maybe? now i'm just that much more anxious for the start of spring training.... =) hopefully..maybe...

Benjamin Grimm Jan 17 2011 09:47 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

I guess it's maybe, though my hunch is it's a slight one. But since the Yankees already have Texeira, and the Phillies have Howard, at least the Mets won't have to worry about competing with either of those two teams.

metirish Jan 17 2011 09:53 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

And Boston has Gonzo, I'd be shocked like everyone I suppose if he doesn't stay in St Louis.

TransMonk Jan 17 2011 09:57 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

I can't see St. Louis letting him walk...but if they do, I'd be interested. As mentioned above, Tex, Howard and Gonzo being signed to the big 3 takes them out of the picture. Fielder is going to wind up somewhere too. It's fun to dream, but I think the odds would be huge in favor of the Cards signing him up before ST.

Ceetar Jan 17 2011 09:59 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

I think the Mets would have to have a philosophy change and be willing to spend more money. Smart decision making or not, everyone makes bad signings or guys get hurt. Paying $50+ million for two players doesn't leave you a whole ton of room to make mistakes with the other 23 guys, especially if it jumps up to 80+ with Wright and Reyes.

Edgy DC Jan 17 2011 10:00 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

The Yankees always have room for one more hitter. Always. Let's grow our own MVPs.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 17 2011 10:16 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

my only interest in Alert Pujols is my interest in seeing a picture of McGwure sticking a syringe in his ass while Tony LaRussa, Bob Costas and Tim McCarver look on.

attgig Jan 17 2011 10:17 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

TransMonk wrote: I can't see St. Louis letting him walk...but if they do, I'd be interested. As mentioned above, Tex, Howard and Gonzo being signed to the big 3 takes them out of the picture. Fielder is going to wind up somewhere too. It's fun to dream, but I think the odds would be huge in favor of the Cards signing him up before ST. I'd also add that detroit has cabrera. angels have morales. every team would get into the bidding, but i'd bet that if he were to be a FA, the biggest competitors would be the cubs and mariners.

Frayed Knot Jan 17 2011 10:22 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Keep in mind about Albert: - He is now 31 y/o (as of yesterday in fact) ... which means (doing some quick math here) he'll be 32 at the beginning of whatever FA contract he signs a year from now and I'm guessing that deal is unlikely to be a short one - the above is all assuming that his stated age is the correct one. There's been questions about that although nothing even resembling proof. - more than one injury has been nagging him recently: an elbow for one which was at one time though to need TJ surgery; and he looked barely mobile at various points last season. Maybe those are both behind him and maybe they're not. - he's a good fielder at 1B although that's only of so much value and it's not like you could move him to a safer position if/when he starts to falter there. In short, for those who now either regret and/or wish the contracts of Santana and Beltran were already over even remembering that those were signed when those players were still in their 20s, how do you rationalize that we're not going to do the same with Albert a few years from now? Would we be paying for his great years while getting his declining ones (and maybe rapidly declining)?

Ashie62 Jan 17 2011 10:32 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

I like Ike.

dgwphotography Jan 17 2011 10:43 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

1. I like Ike. 2. He'd probably get hurt and/or test positive for a ped even before the ink in his Met contract would be dry.

smg58 Jan 17 2011 02:53 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

The Mets are in a position where they are likely to have more available spending money going into next offseason than any other team, and Pujols happens to be the best player in the sport. Of course you have to look into the possibility of acquiring him. But a lot can happen in a year. Ike Davis might give us plenty of reasons to spend our resources at other positions instead, or he might regress. We might have too many holes in our pitching staff that need filling, or a bunch of people might surprise us. Pujols might have a down year, or he might win the triple crown. Let's see how this plays out.

attgig Jan 17 2011 03:12 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

smg58 wrote: The Mets are in a position where they are likely to have more available spending money going into next offseason than any other team, and Pujols happens to be the best player in the sport. Of course you have to look into the possibility of acquiring him. But a lot can happen in a year. Ike Davis might give us plenty of reasons to spend our resources at other positions instead, or he might regress. We might have too many holes in our pitching staff that need filling, or a bunch of people might surprise us. Pujols might have a down year, or he might win the triple crown. Let's see how this plays out. this thinking is much too logical for a baseball forum during the offseason.... especially when i just read: While neither side is talking publicly, early word is that Pujols has used A-Rod's contract, the richest in baseball and one that guarantees him least $275 million over 10 years (and could be worth as much as $305 million if he hits all his landmark home-run numbers), as the only comp. That comes as no surprise as Pujols is widely considered the best player in the game. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/w ... z1BKj9twYA

Edgy DC Jan 17 2011 05:15 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Between now and then, the Mets have a lot of decisions to make, including a couple involving José Reyes and David Wright. I'm not sure about "most money in baseball" but however much they have, it still behooves them to spend it wisely. Pujols has tried throughout his career to regularly undermine your joy and goodwill. He's an enemy, and on Martin Luther King Da, I am certainly moved to treat him with love. But even in my charity, I can at best eye him with heavy suspicion.

Valadius Jan 17 2011 07:35 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

I like Ike, but who says Pujols has to play first?

Edgy DC Jan 17 2011 07:44 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Who says he has to be a Met at all?

Frayed Knot Jan 17 2011 08:03 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Valadius wrote: I like Ike, but who says Pujols has to play first? The fact that his mobility is getting to the point where there'll soon be no other options for him. Players in their mid-30s don't move from 1st base they move toward it.

MFS62 Jan 18 2011 09:05 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

According to a tweet from Beningo and Evans, off air Ike was asked about switching positions if Pujols was available. To which Ike reportedly replied, I would be come a **bleeping** middle reliever to get Albert. Later

Benjamin Grimm Jan 18 2011 09:11 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Davis would be more likely to switch teams than positions if the Mets got Pujols. I really don't think it's going to happen. And as stated above, if it means giving a 8- to 10-year contact to a 32-year-old, we shouldn't be rooting for it to happen. It would be much more tempting if they could get him for three or four years, but that's not gonna happen. I'm sure he'll stay in St. Louis. I'm rooting for Ike to take a great leap forward this year, thereby eliminating all talk of Albert.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 18 2011 12:00 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Ike performing to the absolute pinnacle of what his physical talents allow, and getting the most extreme BABIP bounce known to man besides, wouldn't eliminate all talk of an available Albert Pujols. Davis has iffy mobility, but a fantastic arm (a regular low-to-mid-90s while pitching occasionally for ASU) that's kindasorta going to waste at his current position. If the Mets were wont to do so, he'd likely make a serviceable right-fielder... and the downgrade in the value he provides (from plus-plus D to meh-at-best D) would be more than outweighed by a semi-healthy Pujols at first. As for personal taste... like almost everyone here, I prefer homegrown to imports. But it would be silly to try and construct a logical, on-field-performance-based argument against bringing a Pujols here. (As for the injury-risk thing, though... )

Edgy DC Jan 18 2011 01:12 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Yeah, really, how about an allocation-of-resources-based argument.

seawolf17 Jan 18 2011 01:14 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Four years, $130 million. Take it or leave it, Albert.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 18 2011 01:18 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Meanwhile, Prince Fielder is only 26.

seawolf17 Jan 18 2011 01:19 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Meanwhile, Prince Fielder is only 26. And twice as large.

Valadius Jan 18 2011 01:45 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Pujols is the finest player of his generation. I would be thrilled to have him here.

Frayed Knot Jan 18 2011 02:41 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Albert is said to be looking for ARod money - like in the neighborhood of 10/$300 NOW make the argument for him.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 18 2011 02:47 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Imagine owing Pujols $30 million in 2021 when he's 42 years old. That can really hamstring your franchise.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 18 2011 03:00 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

He's knocking on the door of top 10 hitters ever... 10 years into his career. In his worst year-- production-wise-- he hit 34 HRs, notched 71 XBH, and posted a .414 wOBA and .997 OPS. In his worst year, health-wise, he played in 143 games... and hit 49 HRs. Like Pedro and Johan, he'd be a ridiculous gate draw/merch magnet/press lightning rod himself... and would immediately vault this team into "perennial co-favorite" status annually (as he has with a generally mediocre St. Louis roster, year after year). Unlike Pedro and Johan, he'd be able to do so by himself. Also unlike both (at the time of Met-quisition), he has shown absolutely nothing in his surface OR peripheral numbers to suggest he's entering or even nearing his decline phase. He's been a good-to-great defender at his position every year of his career, as per Plus/Minus AND UZR (and your own damn eyes), and he's a pretty decent baserunner, to boot. Strictly speaking about on-field value... he's been worth over $30 million a year, WAR-wise... for his career. If you're going to overpay for a player... why not overpay for the best damn ballplayer of his generation? *Argument made for argument's sake.

Ashie62 Jan 18 2011 03:10 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Pujols has had ten "perfect seasons", is the best player in the game and can point to Arod's contract as a precedent. Beyond that, with no evidence at all I am confident he is a juicer.

G-Fafif Jan 18 2011 03:23 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Can we sign the first ten years of his brilliant career and apply the numbers going forward?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 18 2011 03:29 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Ahem. Also unlike both (at the time of Met-quisition), he has shown absolutely nothing in his surface OR peripheral numbers to suggest he's entering or even nearing his decline phase. Did I just quote myself?

attgig Jan 19 2011 08:30 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

structure his contract so that you're not paying him 30 mil when he's 42. make it so you're paying him 32-35 the next few years, and then down to 20 or less when he's hitting the late 30's/early 40's. there's no debate in my mind not to offer him an arod contract. no doubt

Edgy DC Jan 19 2011 08:54 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Ahem. Also unlike both (at the time of Met-quisition), he has shown absolutely nothing in his surface OR peripheral numbers to suggest he's entering or even nearing his decline phase. Did I just quote myself? Well (1) he's not at the time of his alleged acquisition yet, (2) his wheels and defensive skills aren't as good as they were a few years ago, and (3) just because this lion hasn't bitten yet doesn't mean I shouldn't trust the knowledge and experience telling me that lions bite. They're in fact famously dangerous predators. Let the Yankees import overpriced douchebags in dumb hats to win them championships. We can grow our own douchebags. And provide them with our own hats.

Edgy DC Jan 19 2011 08:56 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

attgig wrote: structure his contract so that you're not paying him 30 mil when he's 42. make it so you're paying him 32-35 the next few years, and then down to 20 or less when he's hitting the late 30's/early 40's. How many such congracts have we heard of? There are many obstacles.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 19 2011 08:59 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Oh, yeah... just kinda making the point that Albie's moneymaker is unlikely to diminish significantly anytime soon. To clarify: I'm half-playing DA here. If he'd sign for a 3-4 year deal? Sure.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 19 2011 09:25 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

What do we think about Prince Fielder? Will be cheaper than Pujols (but not cheap!) and maybe he can be signed for seven years as opposed to ten. He'll turn 28 in May of 2012, so a seven-year contract would end when he was 34. Yes, I know we all like Ike. I do too. But as I've said before, I don't follow opposing players that closely, so I don't know much about what Fielder's negatives might be. What I'm wondering (not advocating, but wondering) here is if it's at all likely that the Mets might go after Fielder next winter. I do think that Fielder is more likely to hit the free agent market than Pujols is.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 19 2011 09:37 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Retired AP baseball reporter Josh Bolan wrote: So are the Mets clearing payroll to make a run at Albert Pujols for the 2012 season? Well, The Mets are making an obvious attempt to spend no new capital this year and seemingly willing to forfeit the 2011season. The Mets are simply willing to bide time until those contracts come off the books so that they can be ready for the free agent class of 2012. You can be certain that unless Ike Davis hits 30 HR’s and drives in 100 + this year, or comes damn near close to those numbers, the Mets will have at the very least, Price Fielder (who has just set himself up nicely to be a free agent in demand next year) on their team opening day in 2012, if not Albert Pujols. Pujols has repeatedly stated that he will not negotiate once Spring Training starts. While I don't necessarily believe that, I do believe that he won't negotiate once the season starts. The clock is ticking and Mets fans are hoping that time expires. For those Mets fans who are all into the home grown infield thing and don’t want to give up Ike Davis to get Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder, the only thing I can say is, you’ll get over him pretty quickly. - Josh Bolan With the Yankees, Phillies, and Red Sox all seemingly set at first base, the Mets would seem to have a shot if they decide to go this way. Especially if both Fielder and Pujols are on the market.

Edgy DC Jan 19 2011 09:52 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

I've gotten over Josh Bolan... pretty quickly!

Frayed Knot Jan 19 2011 10:06 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I don't follow opposing players that closely, so I don't know much about what Fielder's negatives might be. The biggest negatives being that he'll soon require his own ZIP code and his cholesterol level probably contains a comma somewhere in the number.

metsmarathon Jan 19 2011 10:07 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

last year, bbref has fielder at 3.8 WAR vs. ike's 2.5 WAR, while fangraphs has fielder at 4.1 WAR vs. ike's 3.4 WAR even taking the greater spread on bbref, is it really worth the added cost, lesser defense, and virtually assured mo vaughnyness of prince fielder as compared to the dreadfully inexpensive, defensively sound, and homegrown ike davis? fangraphs and bbref agree that , fielder's best season, 2009, was the only season in which he was more valuable than pujols was in his least valuable season, 2002. given the choice, and especially taking into account the contracts each will command in 2012, i'd much rather have albert pujols than prince fielder. given the choice, and especially taking into account the contracts each will command in 2012, i'd rather have ike davis than prince fielder, especially if ike shows any further development this season. i do not trust prince's body to last. not one bit. let another team take that risk.

metirish Jan 19 2011 10:14 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Frayed Knot wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: I don't follow opposing players that closely, so I don't know much about what Fielder's negatives might be. The biggest negatives being that he'll soon require his own ZIP code and his cholesterol level probably contains a comma somewhere in the number. If Fielder comes expect this to be surpassed In a way I hope Pujols gets signed so the speculation doesn't build all season .

Edgy DC Jan 19 2011 10:21 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Prince is a vegetarian.

seawolf17 Jan 19 2011 10:24 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Edgy DC wrote: Prince is a vegetarian. What? There's a pickle on there. Five years, $180 million for Pujols.

attgig Jan 19 2011 10:28 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Edgy DC wrote: attgig wrote: structure his contract so that you're not paying him 30 mil when he's 42. make it so you're paying him 32-35 the next few years, and then down to 20 or less when he's hitting the late 30's/early 40's. How many such congracts have we heard of? There are many obstacles. a-rod's contract does something like this... and we are modeling albert's contract after arod, no?

attgig Jan 19 2011 10:30 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

agreed with some of the other assesments. Fielder, while good, is not a huge improvement over ike to warrant the $'s being asked by boras. meanwhile, pujols is leaps and bounds better than anyone else in baseball, that despite his age, is no question to warrant the $$ being asked by him.

attgig Jan 19 2011 10:31 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

seawolf17 wrote: Edgy DC wrote: Prince is a vegetarian. What? There's a pickle on there. Five years, $180 million for Pujols. there will be some other teams out there bidding against the mets, and in the end, I think we'll have to have a longer AND higher paying contract vs the cardinals (who will end up being the main competitors, imo) for us to win out a contract.

Edgy DC Jan 19 2011 10:41 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

attgig wrote: attgig wrote: structure his contract so that you're not paying him 30 mil when he's 42. make it so you're paying him 32-35 the next few years, and then down to 20 or less when he's hitting the late 30's/early 40's. How many such congracts have we heard of? There are many obstacles. a-rod's contract does something like this... and we are modeling albert's contract after arod, no? I guess it does. Although I'm not modelign Pujols' contract after anybody's. I'm staying in the moment.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 19 2011 11:22 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

metirish wrote: That is one wide dude.

metsguyinmichigan Jan 19 2011 11:55 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Overpaying for the biggest guy on the market in his declining years is exactly what the Mets past practice has been. Bonilla, Coleman, Foster, Pedro... Granted, none of those guy are Albert, but it still seems like the way the team used to work. Guess if I were going to overpay, I'd do it for a pitcher.

Edgy DC Jan 19 2011 11:57 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

If I were going to overpay, I'd do it for a Met. But, of course, it's best not to overpay.

metirish Jan 19 2011 12:00 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Overpaying for the biggest guy on the market in his declining years is exactly what the Mets past practice has been. By biggest do you mean fattest?

seawolf17 Jan 19 2011 12:22 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

metirish wrote: metsguyinmichigan wrote: Overpaying for the biggest guy on the market in his declining years is exactly what the Mets past practice has been. By biggest do you mean fattest? /rimshot Of course, they need to sign Wright and Reyes to megadeals FIRST, then go sign Albert.

attgig Jan 19 2011 12:37 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

overpay, meaning pay more than.... what? I don't want to overpay like we overpaid for ollie and castillo. there were no competitors for either of them, and yet we decided to outbid ourselves. you can say the same about arod and holliday. when it comes to pujols, there will be competition. I want to overpay other people, but i don't want to overpay us. that's just silly. and if we beat out real competitive bids to get the best player in all of baseball, well, i don't think we're overpaying.

Edgy DC Jan 19 2011 12:51 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

I don't follow. What if we beat out bids that were themselves overpaying? If we beat all competing bids for the best player in baseball, and he becomes the 75th-best player in baseball, we've overpaid.

attgig Jan 19 2011 03:58 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

just reading about who's really the mvp. war comparison graphs of a few different folks: http://www.fangraphs.com/graphsw.aspx?p ... erid5=1908 the article. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.ph ... vp-part-2/ and i think the overpaying argument is a question of perception. in a competitive market, overpaying is winning. i bought my house a few years ago when house prices were up. i guess i could look at it as i overpaid, but i don't becuase i paid what i was comfortable with and what the market dictated. value that i lost since then is sunk cost.

Frayed Knot Jan 19 2011 04:50 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Except that the value of a ballplayer will eventually, unlike a house, ALWAYS reach zero and the idea is NOT to be holding that player when his value is rapidly descending towards that point. Also the under-valued player keeps you from being able to afford other players which, unlike extra houses, are necessary to the buyer.

Edgy DC Jan 19 2011 07:39 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Sheesh, yeah. The value of a house is in what you can flip it for on the market. The value of a ballplayer is in games he or she can win for you.

Benjamin Grimm Feb 13 2011 11:33 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Bumping this because Pujols is in the news again. Says tomorrow is the deadline for him to sign a contract with the Cards, otherwise he's going to become a free agent.

smg58 Feb 13 2011 11:40 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

I'm waiting for Pujols to "volunteer" to swap positions with Berkman -- which will of course have everything to do with helping his current team, and nothing to do with the Yankees and Red Sox having openings in right field next offseason.

Benjamin Grimm Feb 15 2011 07:28 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Deadline extended for a day out of respect for Stan Musial. No, Stan hasn't died. He's being honored somewhere. (Interesting that my Firefox spellchecker recognizes the name "Musial." I tried other fairly unique names from (very roughly) the same era. It likes Koufax and DiMaggio but not Killebrew, Campanella, Yastrzemski, or Drysdale.)

Edgy DC Feb 15 2011 07:31 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

How about Throneberry?

Frayed Knot Feb 15 2011 04:16 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

LaRussa claims the Player's Union is trying "to beat up" Pujols in an attempt to pressure him into setting the goal of the most money in his next contract as the highest priority. While the idea that the union puts pressure on players, particularly high profile ones, to push the envelope on new contracts so as to up the base-line for whoever is next is hardly a new one, the fact that a high-profile manager would go public with such a charge (however self-serving it might be) is more than a bit out of the ordinary.

Gwreck Feb 15 2011 05:50 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

smg58 wrote: and nothing to do with the Yankees and Red Sox having openings in right field next offseason. Both of those teams also have openings at DH next year (Posada and Ortiz are free agents).

Edgy DC Feb 15 2011 06:35 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

And who is LaRussa carrying water for?

Frayed Knot Feb 15 2011 07:35 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Edgy DC wrote: And who is LaRussa carrying water for? Himself naturally. He obviously doesn't want Pujols to go (even though HE isn't signed beyond this year either) and the thinking is that if Albert heeds the advice of the union and goes strictly for the highest offer that probably won't come from St Louee.

Edgy DC Feb 15 2011 07:46 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Well, that's what you get for throwing all your money after Holliday, I guess. I'm a little surprised how detached I am from this. All I care is that if the Yankees want him, then they pay dearly.

Frayed Knot Feb 15 2011 08:12 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Well the only reason this is an "issue" [u:7bhe4c3v]right now[/u:7bhe4c3v] (aside from the small detail about him being the best hitter in baseball) is that Albert has laid down a deadline. But it's also a totally artificial date so it's not like his agent still can't talk to the Cards after tomorrow. He claims he won't listen but he will if the numbers are right. Whether the Yanx even go after him (assuming he gets to FA status in November) might depend on whether Cashman sticks around. Left to his own devices I don't think HE will want to go for a decade-long deal for a 32 y/o player but I suspect the Steiny boys might want to over-rule him a la ARod & Raphael Soriano. Cashman probably doesn't have the loyalty to the boys the way he did with the old man and I think he'll have the ball to demand full control before he agrees to re-up and will be willing to walk if he doesn't get it.

smg58 Feb 16 2011 09:52 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Frayed Knot wrote: While the idea that the union puts pressure on players, particularly high profile ones, to push the envelope on new contracts so as to up the base-line for whoever is next is hardly a new one, the fact that a high-profile manager would go public with such a charge (however self-serving it might be) is more than a bit out of the ordinary. This comes up every time a team's fans (or manager, I guess) get mad when a player they felt they were entitled to keep ponders the open market. As if the thought of demanding a record-breaking contract never would have occurred to Pujols and his agent by themselves. It's far too simple and obvious to conclude that Pujols might be in the percentage of the population who, when given multiple offers to do the same job, would willingly take the most lucrative offer.

Ceetar Feb 16 2011 10:01 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

smg58 wrote: This comes up every time a team's fans (or manager, I guess) get mad when a player they felt they were entitled to keep ponders the open market. As if the thought of demanding a record-breaking contract never would have occurred to Pujols and his agent by themselves. It's far too simple and obvious to conclude that Pujols might be in the percentage of the population who, when given multiple offers to do the same job, would willingly take the most lucrative offer. Which is roughly all of them. I'm on board. bring him here. Get this done. It even probably makes financial sense. He probably draws 500k at least to Citi. Even a likely conservative $20 a ticket puts that at 20million a year.

Valadius Feb 16 2011 11:05 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Deadline passed. Get ready for the Season of Albert.

attgig Feb 16 2011 11:56 AM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

all things point to him being a free agent after the world series, unless he re-starts negotiations in between the cards season ending and free agency period. as for the blue and orange, we'll hopefully see how this madoff things goes before we can think about bidding 30 mil a year.

Valadius Feb 16 2011 12:11 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Both Beltran and Perez come off the books at the end of the year. There's your $30 million.

Ceetar Feb 16 2011 12:15 PM Re: Pujols contract, aka unnecessarily getting my hopes up....

Valadius wrote: Both Beltran and Perez come off the books at the end of the year. There's your $30 million. And Presumably Ike to RF to cover Pagan to CF and Beltran elsewhere. Perez unlikely to add any value that we'd need to replace. The added bonus of Pujols probably makes it even more okay to have a less than Utley type 2Bman in Murphy or Tejada or other prospect.