Albert Pujols' impressive postseason performance has increased his free agent stock, Jon Heyman writes at SI.com. Some say the Cardinals won't improve their offer from nine-years and a bit more than $200MM, but their postseason success may help their chances of re-signing the three-time MVP. Here are the details and more of Heyman's notes from around the league:
- MLB executives tell Heyman that they expect Pujols to sign for more than Prince Fielder despite Fielder's youth (he's four years younger than Pujols).
- Heyman's sources generally expect Pujols to stay in St. Louis, but predicting Fielder's next team is much more difficult.
- Some of Heyman's sources expect Fielder to sign a deal similar to Adrian Gonzalez's seven-year, $154MM extension. I don't think it's a great comp, since Gonzalez didn't sign his deal on the open market.
- Heyman reports (on Twitter) that the Mets have hired former A's manager Bob Geren as their bench coach. Interestingly, the A's hired manager Bob Melvin after a stint with the Mets.
- The White Sox didn't seriously consider anyone other than Robin Ventura once they decided they wanted the former third baseman to be their next manager.
- Francisco Rodriguez told Heyman that he'd like a three-year deal.
- The Pirates are looking for starting pitching. It appears that they'll decline Paul Maholm's option for 2012.
Good Luck with the three year deal K-Rod…
K-Rod look for a 1 year if your luckly – not many 10M setup men – your closing days are over.
The guy can still pitch. He doesn’t have to worry about getting a contract. He has made the Brewers bullpen very good.
I disagree. He’ll find a closing job somewhere. The Mets, Orioles, Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays, Twins, Marlins, and Reds could all be looking for a closer if the price is right. KRod could get 2/16 imo.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more self-entitled player than K-Rod. He sets the record for one of the most widely-known to be useless statistics and suddenly he thinks he is going to the hall of fame. He complains on a PLAYOFF BOUND team after being traded from the Mets about not finishing games. Who cares whether or not they said that to you when you were traded, you’re actually ON a playoff team WINNING games with a closer who just refuses to blow the lead. Sounds like he’d be a perfect match for fried chicken and beer in the red sox clubhouse.
I’m not saying I agree with the way he did things, but not getting save opportunities took money out of his family’s pockets. I know I’d react in the same way, probably not as publicly though.
Yeah, because there’s a real difference between him now and those 5 – 10 saves he missed out. He’s not going to lose money over it, everyone knows he has the track record of a closer. If he had a problem with the way the team was being run, he should have kept it in the clubhouse.
I can see everybody’s side on this. I withdraw my challenge.
nope, his lack of saves cost him nothing. Teams know he can close, and has done it successfully in the past. Teams want to know how he pitched, now when. Besides, what was more impressive last night, K-Rod facing Pujols, Holliday, and Freese or Axford against the bottom of the order?
K-Rod cost himself millions by beating up his inlaws and being a ginormous pain in the butt. He has no right to complain about not getting save opps on a contender.
Agree on this–the non baseball issues are far more damaging to his potential income.
I disagree w/ taking $$ out of his pocket…IF he locks down the 8th and is a team player then he wouldn’t lose out on anything BUT if he struggles in the 8th and talks sh1t about wanting to close then that would take $$ out of his pocket…..HIS OWN ACTIONS are the only thing that will lighten his wallet NOT what inning he pitches….
ya, that is really the relevant point. Going public with your discontent is going to cause teams to shy away come FA. Nobody likes a cancer.
How much did the Yanks just pay Soriano to be an 8th inning guy? Exactly.
The Yanks paid Soriano to be closer-in-waiting, Rivera’s retiring at the end of 2012.
haha who believes that, seriously. dude is gunna pitch til he’s 50.
Closer-in-waiting for two years? Soriano is only under contract for 3. He was signed to set up and also for insurance in case Rivera goes down.
With the departure of Prince Fielder from Milwaukee and the return of Adam Wainwright, the Cards will be the team to beat in the NL Central once again in 2012. I can’t see Pujols going anywhere else, especially because he wants to win.
I think Fielder will be back in Milwaukee. That being said – 2012 is a two team race maybe the Reds in there. But don’t forget Cubs have Theo. Money promises had to be made for him to come there.
With Braun’s extension, the Brewers won’t be able to give Prince much more than what he’s making now, not if they want to improve their team in other areas. I think he’ll find a surprise buyer; hell, it could even be Theo and the Cubs.
Braun’s extension doesn’t kick in until 2016, so there is some wiggle room at least for the first part of a potential Fielder deal
Stop it. Your just setting yourself up for a big disappointment.
Cubs are not a competitive team currently. I think Theo can change them but I give it three years before any sustainable result. It’s still be a race between the Cards and Brewers with whatever surprises the Reds and Pirates can come up with.
Theos Knowlege and the Cubs money ,give it one year
then they will make the NLCS then have a sload of bad contracts
Prince isn’t coming back to Milwaukee. I wish people would get this out of their head. Deal with it, he’s gone.
I think he would if the Brewers won the WS. The Brewers future is cooked if they dont get Fielder, they will also lose Greinke next year
The Brewers could have won the World Series, The Superbowl, The Kentucky Derby,The Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants and Prince still wouldn’t be coming back.Money Talks, and The Brewers are deaf/mutes.
More sound management tactics by the White Sox, I see.
Hmm, so Magglio Ordonez doesn’t think the ankle injury is going to threaten his career? I suppose if age, declining talent and a large salary aren’t threatening his career then the ankle probably won’t either.
If Hideki Matsui can get a job, Magglio Ordonez should be able to get one.
Tell that to Jermaine Dye.
That was his fault wasn’t it? Teams just weren’t offering quite enough for him
No one wanted to give Kenny Lofton $6MM that was really weird too. He was good in his last season.
if the cubs can have a quick turn around with dusty and lou i dont see why people are saying 2,or 3 years. the cubs have huge crappy contracts coming of the books and the fa pitching class a year from now is great. i know most of the young talent is in the low minors but guys like zych, jackson should be up quick. you make couple decent trades, signings, and a new manager; its going to be an addition by subtraction offseason. looking forward to good baseball being played on the northside, i havent saw it in a couple years.
Theo is most likely going to be developing from within and focusing on the draft before he goes and shells out megadeals.
“Some of Heyman’s sources expect Fielder to sign a deal similar to Adrian Gonzalez’s seven-year, $154MM extension. I don’t think it’s a great comp, since Gonzalez didn’t sign his deal on the open market.”
On the other hand, Adrian will still be able to bend over and pick up grounders at the end of seven years.
Agreed, have people already forgotten the Travis Hafner deal? Hafner is absolutely Prince Fielders best comp. An injury waiting to happen.
Games played for Hafner before his big injury:
’04: 140
’05: 137
’06: 129
’07: 152
Games played for Fielder:
’06: 157
’07: 158
’08: 159
’09: 162
’10: 161
’11: 162
How exactly is this “absolutely” his best comparison? It’s not like Hafner was an iron man going out and playing every single day before he hit his big string of injuries. There is no reason to think Fielder is “an injury waiting to happen” simply because he is a larger person.
Can you run off a list of all the 5’10” 300 lb MLB players throughout history? Its Fielder, Hack Wilson and a bunch of cups of coffee. Ok, I see your point that he might be a freak of nature, but generally speaking mens bodies & their metabolism in their 20s are vastly different in their 30s (see Jones, Andruw) and it wouldnt surprise me in the slightest if Prince’s career was over by age 35 or earlier. You can’t be that big and play 9 innings every day. Something will break eventually.
If Prince wants to be a champion he will resign with Milwaukee. If he wants to wait 8 more years for a chance at a World Series he should sign with the Cubs. He will be loved forever he stays with Milwaukee, otherwise he will be treated like LeBron. I think there is too much pressure to join a new club and succeed especially since his big suitors seem like perennial losers.
You are making two big unproven assumptions;One that whoever signs Prince will not contend over the course of his contract and that The Brewers will be contenders for the forseeable future.
The White Sox brass decided they wanted a manager based on his former playing position, and not managerial experience? HOW. DUMB. Oh my god. I mean, I’m not completely against Ventura as the manager, but that is an AWFUL AWFUL thought process.
You do know they had four winning season, went to the playoff twice,and won their first won series in nearly a century with that same philosophy,right? Lets not make it sound like it will be the end of the world before Robbie ever sits on the bench.
Maholm wouldnt be a bad option for the Mets