The Cardinals officially announced their decision to exercise Albert Pujols’ 2011 option, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As anticipated, they chose to pay the first baseman $16MM instead of buying him out for $5MM.
The perennial MVP candidate led the National League in homers (42) for a second consecutive season in 2010. He also batted .312/.414/.596 and played in all but three of his team's games. Since arriving in the major leagues a decade ago, Pujols has played in 143 games or more every season without ever batting less than .312, posting an OBP below .394 or posting a slugging average below .561.
After 2011, the $100MM deal Pujols signed in 2004 will expire and he's scheduled to hit the open market. The Cardinals may look to extend the first baseman this winter and, if they do reach an agreement, they could re-negotiate his 2011 salary. If not, Pujols will likely be a bargain once again.
Shocking…
Shocker!
I don’t think anyone will be shocked by this.
You obviously wouldn’t know sarcasm if it punched you in the dick!
Didn’t see that coming…
OMG I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO PAY 5 MILL FOR HIM TO NOT PLAY ON THEIR TEAM
7yr/193million..average of 27.5million a season. sound fair? any more years and your just asking for trouble, rather let him walk then get A-rod cash.
Sounds fair to me, but I bet he’ll get more. I’m really curious to see, as many other people, what the market figures Pujols is really worth.
I would think 7/$175 would get it done. Or maybe it should unless Pujols is intent on becoming highest paid or something like that. I agree that they should limit the years, I think the Yankees are going to end up regretting giving ARod so many years. Maybe that would have worked before steroid testing but the landscape has changed for older players. I don’t doubt that Albert is clean so there’s just no real way of knowing when he’s going to hit the wall. Just on talent alone he could still be productive long after most guys fade away but I don’t know if anyone wants to be paying near $30 million a year for a superstar who’s only playing at a mortal level.
193 million? Maybe at least 250 million
No it doesn’t sound fair, He’s gonna get a lot more the Joe Mauer got, Joe got an 8/183 contract, Pujols isn’t gonna sign for less then $250 million.
Well there’s a shocker!
Do the Cardinals have any idea what they are thinking?
Holy… I had no idea he’d never OBP’d below .394 and never slugged below .561. That’s unreal.
And I would have let him and his career 1.050 OPS walk
Cubs need a first baseman. What would it take for the red birds to trade him to the Cubbies?
wow…umm…..
vitter, castro, cashner, gorzelanny, marmol, and throw in Hak Ju Lee for good measures.
in other words, the heaven, sky, and earth.
That’s saying a lot for those players.
I don’t believe he will become a Cubbie because Pujols stated he would like to finish his career out as a Cardinal but if Larussa doesn’t come back then I don’t know what is going to happen. Time will only tell and have the whole winter to make a decision.
The Cardinals don’t have their priorities sorted. They need to sign a stud outfielder (Randy Winn) before signing Pujols. FAIL 😛
Albert Pujols is good.
Albert Pujols = 2012 Boston Red Sox 1st Baseman.
275 mil / 10 years
with incentives that can bring the contract up to 300 mil ( all-time HR champ/WS MVP/Regular Season MVP )
i hope the wheel falls off that bandwagon your riding.
Eh, it’s a 100 to 1 shot but there’s still the dream.
I’m not going to say Albert won’t leave St. Louis. But IF he does, it will be for AT LEAST 30mm a year garaunteed!
how much do u think the cards are going to offer?
I think the Cards would be willing to go close to 30 a year, but I don’t think it will come to that. I think 8 years 200million gets it done. I think 25 a year he will be happy with to stay home. He may want 10 years though. If he hits the open market, you better at least be prepared to go over 8yr/240mm or you might as well just sit back and watch.
hmmm…i wonder would going 30 mil a year affect their ability to re-sign
Wainwright/Molina. also, do they have any prospects that can play 1B if
Albert were to leave ?
Guys… Doc H. just put a new meaning into the term “Doctober”.
$16 million for Pujols is such a joke/ridiculous steal.
I’m just curious I know Pujols has endorsement deals, but does he get a substantial amount of them? Trying to compare to jeter in THAT SENSE. Like if he gets 10 mil yrly from them shouldn’t he take that into account while resigning? well i get “only $25 mil” but my endorsements make it add up to 40 a year (lowballing). I am hoping Pujols remains a cardinal for the duration of his career. His talent’s otherworldly, but his marketability I think lies with him staying in St. Louis anyway, people will have him in commercials regardless, but reaction to it would be different. If anyone is familiar with that situation can you reply with that info?
Alot of his endorsements are coming from St.Louis Businesses, If he leaves, doesn’t matter, He will still get deals. He’s Albert Pujols.
P.S.
His Wheatie commercial is great.
Alert Pieholes
Just ask ALbert how much he wants and for how long and give it to him.
Offer him 10% of the Cardinals.
This thread is hilarious with the numbers/demands everyone is throwing around
Didn’t see this coming!