Fan Question: Are the Cubs Bluffing About Signing Albert Pujols?

The Chicago Cubs already know they need more than just a slugging first baseman to win an appreciable amount of Major League Baseball games. Yet somehow the Cubs are emerging as a club with interest in free agent Albert Pujols.

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch pointed out that the Cubs made the postseason when their starting pitchers were in the top five in the National League. The St. Louis Cardinals have had a much better starting rotation over the past decade and a half, which is the reason why the Cardinals make the playoffs more often.

Miklasz speculates the interest in Pujols by the Cubs and other teams is to simply jack up the price for the free agent. His agent Dan Lozano may be playing the field and threatening to make Pujols a more expensive buy.

Clearly Pujols is one of the best players in baseball. Considering the teams that are allegedly pursuing him means he may not be the end-all, be-all panacea for MLB teams. The New York Yankees aren’t interested. So far it’s just been the Miami Marlins making offers.

Baseball’s winter meetings are Dec. 5 through Dec. 8 in Dallas. Players have until Dec. 12 to sign contracts for next year without getting into arbitration. Look for some kind of action in the next two weeks on the Pujols situation.

The slugger also has an interesting predicament. He may go to another team for more money yet never win another World Series. If winning and a rabid fan base means more to the first baseman, then he may well stay in St. Louis.

Should Pujols remain in the Gateway City, this pomp regarding the parade of teams who are supposedly interested in him may be to try to get his old team to pay him more. Even an extra $30 million in total salary may be worth even a threat of going to another team.

It’s interesting to me that Pujols has largely stayed quiet through all of this. Will he, himself, be at the winter meetings in Dallas? Baseball beat writers will be walking the halls of the hotel where the meetings will be held. Any sign of Pujols will surely mean the news will break soon on an deal. Lozano can’t sign the contract for him.

Cardinals fans will know in a week or two just how hot the slugger is on the free agent market. First they’ll see if he even shows up in Texas and second they will notice how much talk in the winter meetings will be about Pujols as compared to other free agents.

William Browning was born in St. Louis and is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.


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