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Albert Pujols

Rosenthal On Beltran, Pirates, Pujols, Braves

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There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the 2011 Mets from Francisco Rodriguez to Omar Minaya to Jerry Manuel. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Minaya or his replacement,  “would be wise to explore trades for [Jose] Reyes and [David] Wright” this offseason. Here are the rest of the rumors:

  • Carlos Beltran, a player who could become a trade chip this winter, told Rosenthal that he would like to remain on the Mets.
  • Pirates president Frank Coonelly is the team's “de facto GM”, according to some rival executives.
  • Not surprisingly, the Cardinals’ top offseason priority will be extending Albert Pujols, who will hit the open market after 2011 unless the Cards lock him up. It took Joe Mauer and the Twins a while to work out their $184MM extension, so we could be in for a winter’s worth of Pujols rumors.
  • As Rosenthal points out, the Braves could use a big bat to play left field and they'll likely be on the lookout for one this offseason.

Mozeliak: Cardinals’ Payroll Might Increase

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Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told fans at tonight's social media event that the team's payroll might increase over the next couple of seasons (Twitter link). St. Louis started the season with a payroll just north of $94MM according to Cot's, right in line with where the club has been since 2005.

Obviously the elephant in the room is Albert Pujols' upcoming contract extension. He'll earn the same $16MM next year that he's earned since 2008 once the team picks up his option, but 2011 is the last season the team will enjoy that discount. His salary is then expected to soar over $20MM, perhaps as much as $10MM more annually than he's pulling down right now.

The only significant contract coming off the Cardinals' books this offseason is Brad Penny's one-year, $7.5MM deal, but they'll also save marginal amounts thanks to the expiring contracts of Jason LaRue and Felipe Lopez. Ryan Franklin's $3.5MM salary will disappear after next season, but that money will just be redistributed to Adam Wainwright when his 2012 option ($9MM) is inevitably picked up. It's worth noting that St. Louis did save itself a nice chunk of change both this year and next when it traded Ryan Ludwick to the Padres. 

Clearly, if the Cardinals plan to retain Pujols and field a competitive team long-term they're going to have to expand the payroll. Jumping into nine-figure payroll territory seems inevitable for the foreseeable future.

Rasmus Denies Making Trade Request

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8:20pm: Rasmus denied making a trade request earlier this season, according to B.J. Rains of FoxSportsMidwest.com.

"I never did that,” said Rasmus following today's game. "I don’t know where that’s coming from. I just want to play baseball and have fun…I love being here. I love the fans. I’m moving forward and just trying to play hard and I’m happy we won today."

Tony La Russa also addressed the topic in today's post-game press conference.  The manager insisted that he doesn't have an issue with Rasmus and that he will see significant playing time down the stretch.

2:04pm: Pujols had even more to say on the matter, writes Passan.

“If he doesn’t want to be here next year, we need to figure out a way to get him out of here and find somebody that wants to be here and play,” said the nine-time All-Star. “That’s a reality.

“That’ll show you right there a young player that doesn’t respect what he’s got,” Pujols added. “He needs to find out the talent and ability that he has and pretty much keep his mouth shut and play the game. Let the organization make those decisions, not himself.”

1:55pm: First baseman Albert Pujols has weighed in on the situation, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

"We need to figure out a way to get him out of here," said the nine-time All-Star.

1:26pm: Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa confirmed that center fielder Colby Rasmus has requested a trade, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  However, La Russa declined to delve much deeper into the matter with reporters.

"What do you want me to say? Ask Colby. Just ask Colby," said the manager. "He can handle it however he wants to handle it. He's capable of explaining himself and what he was thinking at the time."

Despite La Russa's suggestion, Rasmus would not confirm his trade request before taking the field against the Reds this afternoon.  He also declined to say whether he hoped to remain with the club next season.  La Russa seems to think that the center fielder has had a change of heart.

"I think he's thinking probably the grass is not greener other places and that this is a good situation, a great organization, teammates, everything. That's what I think. You can ask him," said La Russa, who also said that the outfielder made a similar request in his rookie season.

Rasmus came to GM John Mozeliak with his request during the Cards' July 23-25 series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, according to a source familiar with the situation.  After the center fielder arrived late to the park, La Russa threatened to option him to Triple-A in a closed door meeting.  However, when talking to Rasmus, Mozeliak assured him that he would be staying put. 

Cardinals Notes: Pujols, Ryan, Schumaker, Rasmus

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The Cardinals have slipped to eight games back of the Reds in the NL Central race, and the division title is looking increasingly out of reach for St. Louis. So rather than focusing on this season, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch previews the coming winter, asking a few questions about what the team's future holds. Here are some highlights of Strauss' piece:

  • Locking up Albert Pujols is the club's top priority; the Cards will likely have trouble adding another impact bat until they know what sort of money they'll be committing to their top hitter for the next several years.
  • "Strong opinion exists" at the major league level that the Cards' Triple-A and Double-A affiliates won't produce an impact position player for at least the next couple seasons. Strauss points out that the team hasn't signed many minor league free agents in recent years, and that the organization might have to rethink that strategy to provide depth and insurance for the big league roster.
  • The Cards may need to look into acquiring more offense at its middle infield spots, since Brendan Ryan (.573 OPS) and Skip Schumaker (.680 OPS) have contributed very little at the plate.
  • It's still up in the air whether Tony La Russa will be back to manage in St. Louis next season. If he does, there are questions about his relationship with Colby Rasmus. According to Strauss' club sources, Rasmus requested a trade earlier this year due to his frustrations with the Cards' skipper.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Marlins, Berry, Carroll, Pujols

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Links for Wednesday, on an eerily quiet day for baseball fans…

Odds & Ends: Rolen, Yankees, Astros, Jeter

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Links for Sunday, as the celebration continues in Spain….

Cardinals Notes: Trades, Payroll, Pujols, La Russa

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Bill DeWitt Jr. has "turned general manager John Mozeliak loose" to find a starting pitcher, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In a Q&A with the Cardinals' chairman, Strauss asks about the team's approach to the trade deadline and Albert Pujols' future in St. Louis, among other topics. Here's what DeWitt had to say:

  • The team's farm system isn't as deep as it was at this time last year, but they still have a few "premium prospects" that other clubs are interested in.
  • Giving up a lot of talent to rent a player whose contract expires at season's end isn't something the Cardinals want to do. However, they do have some prospects they'd make available in the right trade.
  • The team has financial flexibility to take on salary, in part because their attendance this year has been slightly stronger than expected.
  • It sounds like the Cards would prefer taking on salary rather than parting with blue-chip prospects: "Dollars is one thing; talent is another," said DeWitt. "Talent is harder to get."
  • Even taking into account Pujols' upcoming extension negotiations, the team is confident they have room to add a "quality player," as long as it's not one with a long-term, backloaded contract.
  • The Cardinals would never consider trading Albert Pujols this year, and view this coming offseason as the "optimal" time for contract negotiations.
  • DeWitt hasn't discussed with Tony La Russa whether the Cards' skipper will be back next year. They'll wait to see how La Russa feels after the season.

Heyman’s Latest: Lee, Oswalt, White Sox, Nady

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Jon Heyman has a new column up at SI.com, so let's dive on in…

  • Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt are the two big name pitchers available on the trade market, but their value is very different because of the money owed to them. "At the end of the day," says one AL exec, "I don't think Houston will be able to move the entire (Oswalt) contract and get premium players back."
  • Another AL executive noted that Lee has proven that he can be successful in the American League and will fetch two draft picks at the end of the season.
  • The Red Sox turned down a straight up Lee for Clay Buchholz offer last year.
  • The Yankees are happy with their rotation at the moment, but they plan on putting in a call in the coming days just in case they are "pleasantly surprised" by Seattle's asking price. Oswalt, meanwhile, isn't even on their radar.
  • Some wonder if the Dodgers are saving money for a big score, but GM Ned Colletti will be hard pressed to acquire either Lee or Oswalt without ownership approval.
  • The Cardinals might not be willing to take on Oswalt's deal with Albert Pujols' free agency rapidly approaching.
  • The Mets might not want to give up the prospects to acquire another frontline pitcher, though the Rangers would be able to work Lee's salary into the budget.
  • Heyman also goes through and offers some opinion on other teams that could use one of the two aces, including the Reds, Phillies, and Angels.
  • Kenny Williams would like to fire Ozzie Guillen according to one person close to the team, but owner Jerry Reinsdorf is too loyal to let it happen.
  • A trade of Xavier Nady to open up the Cubs' outfield logjam seems likely.

Dan Lozano Leaves Beverly Hills Sports Council

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TUESDAY, June 1st: Crasnick reports that Lozano officially announced his departure from Beverly Hills Sports Council. Lozano will still represent all of his clients, including Pujols, Rollins, Young, Cabrera, Joey Votto, Dallas Braden and J.C. Romero. Agent Dan Horwits is not leaving BHSC (Twitter links).

THURSDAY, May 27th: Crasnick hears that Lozano is taking several employees with him. Partner Dan Horwits, who represents Kurt Suzuki, Mike Leake and Kevin Gregg, may also leave Beverly Hills Sports Council (Twitter links).

WEDNESDAY, May 26th: Agent Dan Lozano has left the Beverly Hills Sports Council, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  SI's Jon Heyman tweets that Lozano will take at least three big clients with him in his solo venture: Albert Pujols, Jimmy Rollins, and Michael Young.  Felipe Lopez, Russell Branyan, and Orlando Cabrera have also been reported as clients of Lozano in recent years, but it's not known whether he retained them.

By our count BHSC had the seventh-biggest offseason, brokering $132.92MM worth of contracts.  Their business takes a hit with the loss of Pujols, who is likely headed for a contract in excess of $200MM.  They've still got Mark Reynolds, Tommy Hanson, Brad Hawpe, Aaron Hill, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Ludwick, Hunter Pence, Ryan Theriot, Dan Uggla, Jayson Werth, and Brian Wilson, among others.

Upcoming Ten And Five Rights

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Players who have accumulated ten years of major league service time can't be traded without their permission if they have spent the last five years with their current club. Ten and five rights can make it much more difficult for a GM to pull off a deal. Here's a list of players whose five and ten rights kick in in the near future:

  • A.J. Pierzynski – June 14th
  • Mark Buehrle – July 6th
  • Jimmy Rollins – Rollins' rights kick in September 7th, long after the trade deadline. The Phillies have not shown any interest in dealing Rollins, but it's worth noting that they won't be able to trade their star shortstop next winter or next season without his permission.
  • Mike Lowell – Lowell would have ten and five rights after the season, but only if he stays in Boston. If Lowell, a free agent after 2010, signs elsewhere, he will have no such rights.
  • Ichiro – Ichiro will gain ten and five rights after the season. He has a limited no-trade clause now, and isn't going anywhere regardless of his contract status.
  • Albert Pujols – Pujols isn't going anywhere either, and his limited no-trade clause becomes a full no-trade clause after the season.
  • Rafael Furcal – Like Ichiro and Pujols, Furcal will see his limited no-trade clause become complete after the season. Furcal is under contract through 2011 and the Dodgers have an option for 2012.
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