Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:
The Cardinals are in a tough situation.
If they don't sign Pujols, every non baseball fan will question why. Every St. Louis fan will question why. So will most other fans.
Fact is, if they do sign him, their payroll is pretty much screwed for the length of the contract. I don't feel sorry for the Cardinals. They created this mess by signing Holliday, knowing two years later that this day was coming.
I don't know all the particulars about how much ownership wants to put on the payroll for the next umpteen years, but plain and simple, I might lean towards letting him go to another team and start planning for it now, instead of trying to open up negotiations again.
Pujols wants paid like the best hitter in baseball for the next 8-10 years, he'll only be the best hitter two, three tops during that time, then becomes more of a payroll drag with each passing year.
Kelly Uganski stated that the ARod contract was a product of the Rangers bidding against themselves in the first place, and he's right. So the neighborhood Pujols wants to be in, shouldn't have existed. But, it does, and Pujols wants the key.
If this were the 50's and Pujols asked Branch Rickey for a raise, Rickey would say, "Kid, we didn't finish in first place with you, we can do it without you too".
The money freed up by not having Pujols on the payroll pays for Adam Wainwright and keeps St. Louis in the ballgame for other less expensive free agents. The players and prospects garnered in a trade at the deadline would be a jackpot for both the Cardinals and their trading partner. Pujols has leverage here too, being a 10-5 guy, but will probably want to be in a pennant chase, should St. Louis be floundering.
It'll take cajones from the St. Louis brass. It'll be news that their fans don't want to hear. But, it may be the right thing for the franchise.
I noticed that the Yankees haven't been listed as a team that would be interested in Pujols. I think they would. A 1B/DH tandem of Pujols/ Teixeira would be fiercesome and get the Yankees back on an offensive footing equal to the Red Sox.
And just throwing this thought out there, since we're all doing guesswork-
What if the Yankees moved Jeter to the outfield next year, put ARod back at short for one year, put Pujols back at one of his old positions at 3b?
An infield of:
1b-Teixeira
2b- Cano
3b- Pujols
ss- ARod
Every Yankee fan is probably feeling a little pre-jiz just thinking about the possibility.
NFBC'ers may like it as well. Three of the best players in baseball with dual positionality.
Hey, it's fun to think about, right?
The Holliday contract looks brilliant compared to the Lohse contract. At least Holliday is earning some of it.
2-3 more years, that's it? You're probably right. I'm interested to see if Arod bounces back this year. If not the Yankees are in for a long ride. Of course we knew that from jump street.
I'd like to see MLB adapt a policy that allows teams an advantage to signing long tenured players. Doesn't NBA have something similar to that? It doesn't seem right that Pujols could finish his career elsewhere, though it's looking like he probably will.
Good point to whoever questioned Pujols' age. He could be another Tejada incident. Would explain how he entered the league at such an advanced level, but doesn't explain why he's still at that level.
