Ok, here are some of my thoughts on Pujols and his leave-taking:
The Cardinals offered Pujols a 5 year deal worth almost 30 mil a year. It was “insulting” according to both he and his spouse, who reported that feeling on a Christian radio station here in St Louis 2 days after the Angels took the Pujols family to the limelight of LA. (And, oh by the way a 3 billion dollar tv contract in one of the largest Latin American markets in the States.) Excuse me? 30 mil a year is an insult? In what world is that true? That reaction completely overlooks the fact that said ballplayer would be 37 and past his prime when the contract was up. He then offered to backload the massive contract so that the team could ink yet another superstar. He will actually be paid the most when he is worth less. He is making less this year with the Angels than he was last year with the Cardinals…and 2 1/2 times less than if he had taken a short term, high money deal with the Cardinals. So maybe it’s really not about the money. Maybe he’s mad.
Please.
Then there is the issue of “personal services” which will obligate Pujols to the Angels for 10 years after his initial 10 years is up. The Cards claim they were interested in offering that option to the slugger also; who knows if that is true but it’s not even the point. The point here, I think, is that 5 years is plenty of time to work that out if you can get over yourself and look a little deeper. The Cards offered to make him the highest paid player in baseball, but only for the time they felt he would continue to be the best player in baseball. Seems fair to me. So then a 30 minute phone call from a billionaire owner in LA made Pujols feel all warm, fuzzy and wanted after 11 years in a market that absolutely adored him even when it wasn’t warranted. Witness the amount of rally- killing double plays this year.
I for one am glad the Cardinals did not mortgage the franchise to satify the ego of an insecure superstar who jumped an 11 year ship-ride after a 30 minute phone call.And one who is quite plainly on the decline, as every ballplayer will be eventually.
I say thanks for the good times, Albert…you sure gave us some great moments. Yep, he did…just ask Brad Lidge.