Well, we'll see, won't we (emphasis mine):
Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt liked what superstar Albert Pujols said upon arriving at camp about winning being more important than money to him when it comes to his next contract.
"I'm not going to lie to you: It's not about the money all the time," Pujols said when he got to spring training. "It's about being in a place to win and being in a position to win. If the Cardinals are willing to do that and put a team together every year like they have, I'm going to try to work everything out to stay in this town."
[...]
While both sides are tossing bouquets toward each other, the type of money it would take to execute a Pujols extension -- word is, he'd seek $25 million a year for 10 years -- would be almost unprecedented territory for a team outside one of the very major markets. So while extending Pujols is a possibility, it's certainly no sure thing. Considering Pujols' true market value and the Cardinals' prudent spending past, it's probably going to take some serious compromising on both sides to get it done.
[...]
At least DeWitt hopes money isn't what drives him.
Ya think? Can the Cardinals both build a winner around Pujols while simultaneously affording a $25m contract? Let's see that happen.
It's ALWAYS about the money. Just ask Teix, Sabathia, Burnett, Lowe, Manny, ARod, Zito...
It's ALWAYS about the money. Just ask Teix, Sabathia, Burnett, Lowe, Manny, ARod, Zito...
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3 comments:
gmTalk about a terrifying predicament for the Cardinals. A mid-market team having to come up with that kind of dough, for a guy that may in fact be older than he says.....
I don't think that will end well for the Cardinals no matter what they do.
Why are the Cardinals considered a mid-market team? They draw over 3,000,000 a year, are probably in the top-5 for merchandising.
Just because they've found a formula that worked (you know, 2 World Series appearances without spending the crazy money the Red Sox and Yankees had to spend to get there) doesn't mean they are a second-tier franchise.
Pujols has been a bargain, and I'll bet you'll he'll extend for 20mil or less a year. As long as the Cardinals make an effort to sign other players.
Only two teams have been to the Series twice this decade.
The Cardinals and the Red Sox. And the Cub, Met, Yankees, Blue Jays, Rangers, etc. have all spent more money to make it fewer times.
He stays if Colby Rasmus, Brett Wallace, Adam Wainwright, and Brett Anderson can become stars and really help. That gives the Cards a cheaper team, but if you give a guy 1/4 of your payroll, you 1) need a great farm system (cheap, productive players) and 2) need to stop giving Kyle Lohse $10MM a year (making big, large contract mistakes).
That being said, I think Pujols making this quote states how he is unhappy with the current team. If he was content, he'd say, "Yeah, I want to stay a Cardinal. We'll work on something next week," instead of "I'll be here if the team is good." Granted, his contract doesn't end for three years and it's too early to be talking about this, but he doesn't seem to have a lot of confidence in the team. I'm not sure he should.
In the end, my personal opinion is that the Cardinals should put him on the market. Yes, there would be a huge fit from the fans, but we're not talking about the two good players and two decent players for Peavy. We're talking clearing out the other team's farm system (to get the right number of prospects, you might need a three-team deal). Pujols would get a greater return than Teixeira and Bedard. If the Cardinals can get a huge deal, they would save money while filling holes with really good prospects or young players. When they win and have more payroll flexibility, the fanbase will get over it.
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