Kuzul

Albert Pujols has won the National League Most Valuable Player Award three times, the Silver Slugger Award six times and the first base Gold Glove Award twice. He has a .331 career batting average along with 408 big league home runs.

You would think that the Cardinals would pay the man his dues, wouldn’t you?

There has been speculation over the past few weeks that the Cardinals may not end up re-signing Pujols, thus potentially making Pujols a free agent next winter. What an event that would be.

Remember the media attention given to LeBron James? Imagine that with a lot more money, though with a much more humble athlete. 

While there are probably 30 teams in MLB who would be interested in signing Pujols, his potential contract will likely frighten off the majority of those teams. So let’s assume that Pujols will not re-sign with the Cardinals. Who would be able to take on Pujols’ contract? Which lucky team has a shot at landing baseball’s best active hitter?

1. Chicago Cubs

Believe it or not, the Cardinals’ divisional rival, the Cubs, may be in the running for Pujols. Let’s start by examining Chicago’s need for Pujols.

This winter, the Cubs’ current first baseman, Carlos Pena, will be coming off the books, taking his $10 million contract with him. As a result, the Cubs will have an open spot for Pujols. After 2011, Aramis Ramirez will also have finished his current contract. Thus, the Cubs will have a serious need in the power department.

Signing Pujols would certainly make sense for the Cubs. However, the real question is whether or not they can afford him.

Conveniently, the Cubs have a lot of horrible contracts ending this season. As I mentioned earlier, Ramirez will be finishing his current contract in 2011, which will free up approximately $15 million for the Cubs. Also, Pena will no longer be under contract, giving the Cubs an extra $10 million to spend. Another notable contract that will no longer restrict the Cubs is that of Kosuke Fukudome. His $13.5 million will be happily released. 

So there it is: The Cubs have the money for Pujols, and they are in desperate need of a foundational player. Just imagine an infield consisting of Pujols and rising star Starlin Castro. 

2. New York Mets

If the Mets are able to bait Pujols, there would be a vast number of implications. Imagine a lineup consisting of Pujols, Jose Reyes, Jason Bay and David Wright hitting against the Phillies’ rotation throughout the season. What a rivalry that would be. 

With regards to the Mets’ need for Pujols, let’s be frank: The Mets could use some offensive help. While their lineup looks solid on paper, they have encountered many obstacles that have slowed this team down in the past. A Pujols signing would send this team soaring into the playoffs. 

Can the Mets do it? Let’s examine some of the players who have contracts running up following this season.

First and foremost is Carlos Beltran. The seven-year, $119 million contract Beltran signed back in 2005 is finally coming to an end, which will free up around $18.5 million for the Mets. The dreaded Oliver Perez contract will also give the Mets some wiggle room economically. Finally, Luis Castillo is unlikely to remain with New York after 2011, which gives the Mets $six million to work with.

The departure of Beltran will be easy to accommodate, as rising star Ike Davis can be moved to the outfield. 

This feels like deja vu for New York. Don’t get your expectations up unless you are prepared for another LeBron James-esque disappointment. 

3. Long Shot: Detroit Tigers

This one might seem a little bit odd due to the presence of Miguel Cabrera on the Tigers. However, Cabrera has played third base in his career and could potentially return there if Pujols were to sign with Detroit. 

Let’s take a look at the contracts Detroit will be losing after this upcoming season. Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen are the two big ones. The aggregate of their contracts would give Detroit $23 million to work with. Jose Valverde also has a $nine million club option for 2012, which the Tigers might be willing to sacrifice as a means of signing Pujols.

So imagine this: The Tigers have about $32 million to work with this offseason. They could sign some cost-efficient replacements for their departing contracts, leaving them with approximately $25 million to work with. With players such as Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta and Victor Martinez all leaving by 2014, why not sign Pujols to a backloaded contract starting in the neighborhood of $25 million per year? 

Imagine a lineup containing Brennan Boesch, Ryan Raburn, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez until 2014. It would be nearly impossible to stop this team from scoring five-plus runs per game. 

Is it likely? Certainly not. In all reality, this scenario has maybe a two percent chance of happening. But you never know.

In conclusion, the race to sign Albert Pujols may not feature some of the familiar names. Mark Teixeira and Adrian Gonzalez are likely stuck in New York and Boston, respectively, which puts those two out of the running, logically. Vernon Wells’ contract will likely prevent the Angels from participating in this event, and Philadelphia already owns Ryan Howard’s ridiculous contract.

Can you imagine this? The best player in baseball will be a free agent in 2012, and most of the usual suspects will not be the favorites. 

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The St. Louis Cardinals made what might likely be their last addition of the offseason on Friday, signing infielder Nick Punto to a one-year deal. It will be worth $750K.

Punto is a switch-hitter, who had strong seasons in 2006 and 2008, but has been disappointing since. He batted .238 with a .313 on-base percentage and a .302 slugging percentage in 2010.

What he does bring is a solid glove. He holds a career UZR of 29.9 in 285 games at third, and, if starting third baseman David Freese is unable to return from ankle surgery on schedule, Punto can fill in.

“It addresses a couple of things for us,” said general manager John Mozeliak. “One thing that we believe is he’s a very, very good defensive player at second, short and third, and will certainly give us protection there should we need it. We also see value in him being a switch-hitter, to give [manager Tony La Russa] a little more flexibility that way as well.”

Punto has a UZR of 7.9 in 252 games at second and 27.2 in 257 at shortstop.

“And overall our hope is that David Freese is going to be our everyday third baseman, but if there is a problem there, we certainly know this man is capable of playing there every day.”

When Freese is healthy, Punto will back up second, shortstop and third. That means that Daniel Descalso and Tyler Greene will have to compete for a job this spring. Mozeliak says that Ramon Vazquez, who signed a minor league contract earlier this offseason, will also be part of the competition.

“To his credit, [Punto] just really wanted to be a St. Louis Cardinal and really pushed for it,” Mozeliak said. “Nick’s thrilled about coming here. I always think when people show this kind of interest, it’s always beneficial to the club.”

Signing Punto is low-risk, high-reward. Bill James and ZiPS predict a very slight offensive improvement for Punto in 2011, but, like most insurance, he should be reliable when called upon. If he does anything more than what he did last year, this would be a great signing for Mozeliak.

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Yes, I know what you’re thinking. “What is he talking about? How is Albert Pujols ‘too good’?”

Well, Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball, so let’s get that out of the way. If he continues on his current path, he’ll most likely retire as one of the best ever.

So now the entire baseball world has their eyes set on St. Louis, watching as Pujols inches closer and closer free agency for the first time in his career. The Cardinals picked up the $16 million option for 2011 on the seven-year, $100 million contract Pujols signed in 2004.

Most assume that the Cardinals would re—sign the face of their franchise, but Pujols has given them until the start of Spring Training to work out a deal. Should they fail to do so, Pujols will not negotiate during the regular season and will test free agency at its conclusion.

John Heyman of SI.com is reporting that both sides are remaining silent and that no deal is close. However, Pujols is reportedly using Alex Rodriguez’s 10-year, $275 million contract with the New York Yankees as a benchmark.

Heyman also reports that the Cardinals may only be willing to offer Pujols a contract that would guarantee him a bit less than $200 million and that the Cardinals hope to keep the deal around seven years or less.

While most baseball insiders feel that Pujols and the Cardinals will get a deal done before the start of spring training, no one knows for sure because the talks have been so hush—hush.

It was thought that the Cardinals could get this deal done with a single offer: 10 years, $300 million. However, the Cardinals are reportedly willing to do one or the other, but not both; a 10-year deal or a shorter deal with an annual salary of $30 million.

So, if Pujols is going to use A-Rod’s contract as a starting point, or at least a reference, and the Cardinals aren’t willing to get to those types of numbers, where is Pujols going to end up?

That’s question which presents the idea that Pujols is too good. If the Cardinals are not able to give Pujols the type of deal he feels he deserves (and let’s be honest: Pujols is worth far more than A-Rod, and not just to the Cardinals), he’s not going to find much more money anywhere else.

The two richest teams in baseball, the Yankees and Red Sox, both have first base covered. The Yankees have Mark Teixeira at first base making $20 million per season, and the Red Sox just traded for Adrian Gonzalez and by all accounts will sign him to a similar deal after the season starts.

Unfortunately for Pujols, after Boston and New York, his options are limited. Ryan Howard is entrenched in Philadelphia as is Miguel Cabrera in Detroit.

The White Sox could try to trade Carlos Quentin and move Adam Dunn to the outfield, creating space for Pujols at first base. The New York Mets will have a lot of money to spend after this season, but are they willing to invest $25-30 million into a single player, even a guy like Pujols?

Will Pujols, who is an excellent fielder, relegate himself to DH for the extra money? Assuming of course there is a team willing to pay their DH that sort of cash.

One baseball agent was quoted as saying that any contract for Pujols “better start with a two” (as in the number 2).

The number of teams who can afford Pujols AND have space for him are almost non-existent. Those that can afford him but don’t have the space would have to make room in ways similar to what the New York Knicks did in the face of LeBron James’ free agency (and we all know how that worked out).

In the end, Pujols will probably have to take less money than he could get if there was a need for him in the bigger markets. We all know what Pujols is worth. If he wants $30 million annually, he’s certainly deserving of that.

He probably isn’t going to get it in St. Louis, but he could somewhere else.

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Buster Olney from ESPN and Jon Heyman from Sports Illustrated are two sports writers quickly losing ground of credibility with me lately.  I honestly would rather not read someone’s jibber-jabber unless they had their little ducks in a row and their sources correctly cited. Instead all we get are the standard unnamed source bologna in place of real writing because they have nothing else to come up with.  We should be sick of it, and we don’t deserve it. 

Not these two pipers of the printed word. They cite their “unnamed” sources to stir the fan base and generate reactions.  There is one thing they’re not telling you, the fan, and I have this from a credible MLB.com source (ahahahaahah you like that don’t you?) These guys know nothing more than the casual fan.  They are typing these stories to generate either “heat” or interest for their name, their company or their benefit period.  They honestly have no clue. 

At both the winter meetings and the latest Winter Warmup, the St Louis Cardinals GM John Mozeliak and first baseman Albert Pujols have vowed to keep the negotiations secretive. When asked, Pujols and his agent decline to comment.  So how in the wide world of sports would Heyman or Olney have ANY IDEA of what is being discussed? They don’t.  They speculate just like you or I and it’s sometimes annoying as hell.

“It’s apparent that talks between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols “are not going as smoothly as the Cardinals want,” Olney writes. That is a Buster Olney product.  http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=olney_buster&id=6027102&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmlb%2fblog%3fname%3dolney_buster%26id%3d6027102%26campaign%3drss%26source%3dESPNHeadlines

Notice in the article it’s “sources said”. Perhaps I would believe his drivel if it were the GM or heck even the water boy named in the article that gave him some inside info.  Here’s a tip: If the local media outlets don’t get to report on it, neither do you Buster.

Here was Jon Heyman’s article today:

“While neither side is talking publicly, early word is that Pujols has used A-Rod’s contract, the richest in baseball and one that guarantees him least $275 million over 10 years as the only comp … The Cardinals, meanwhile, are said to have initially suggested a contract that would guarantee Pujols at least a bit less than $200 million. The exact particulars of their offer or offers aren’t known, but there is a belief around the game that the Cardinals are hoping to keep the deal to seven years or less.”

 Laughable. Just how in the hell did Jon Heyman get word about the deals but not the local media? I have the answer to that: He’s full of poopie.  He’s generalizing because he doesn’t know. 

Then there’s the market worth.  Look, I personally wouldn’t pay this guy an annual salary of more than about 100K to play a game.  In an economy like this, there needs to be a lockout and get these spoiled brat athletes back down to reality.  Guys like Ruth and Mantle are rolling over in their graves right now. 

The sad reality of it all is Pujols is no different than any other player in the game.  He wants money and a lot of it.  He is no saint, or savior of the St. Louis Cardinals.  However, people will rebut with their arguments of “well wouldn’t you want to get paid the most money, too?” Look people, that argument only goes so far until you become “worth” more than a small mediterranean country. However, players and agents have driven up the demand of services with these so-called heroes and ask the moon for these human beings and get every penny, regardless and it is only getting worse.

Let’s recap.

1. No sports writer regardless of track record knows a darn thing of what’s being discussed behind closed doors.

2. No sports writer regardless of track record knows a darn thing of what’s being discussed behind closed doors.

3. See 1 and 2.

Get it? Got it. Good. 

The lid is tight and that is where it is going to stay.  Anything else is just speculation.

One more thing: Buster, your act is as tired as your name.  Heyman, I am coming for your job.  The people deserve better than the crap you two spew daily.  Instead of preparing and writing something informative or even entertaining, you come up with the above examples of why journalism is heading south.  Now, I’m no Mickey Spillane, but I would like to think some detective work and research would better suit the audience.  It’s called facts. Dig them, write them, harness them. 

Thanks for reading.

-Todd

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The clock is ticking on the St. Louis Cardinals to come to terms on a contract extension with the best player the Cardinals have had since Stan “The Man” Musial retired in 1963.

Albert Pujols has set a firm deadline to agree to an extension by the start of spring training.

Should Pujols not receive an extension by that time, he will become a free agent after the 2011 season.

With big spenders New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox locked into long contracts with current first basemen of Mark Teixeira and Adrian Gonzalez respectively, one has to wonder where the three-time National League MVP might end up.

Pujols could demand a deal close to the deal Alex Rodriguez signed for 10 years and $275 million.

So what teams could sign the free agent next off season?

Begin Slideshow

With most of the top free agents now signed and teams starting to take shape as we approach spring training, I thought I would share my pre-pre-season perspective on the relative strengths, (and weaknesses), of all 30 major league teams.

I have broken the article down into three installments, and will publish one of the segments each day this weekend. Part I (yesterday) covered the three teams I view as the weakest in baseball… Part II (today) covers the teams in the middle of the pack… Part III (tomorrow, MLK Day) will preview the 10 best teams in baseball.

Without further ado, here is how I see things:

Begin Slideshow

Albert Pujols has told the St. Louis Cardinals he wants a new contract by the beginning of spring training, or he will sever negotiations and become a free agent in the fall, sources told ESPN the Magazine’s Buster Olney.

The Cardinals exercised Pujols’ option for next season in October, which will pay him $16 million. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak refused to comment on the state of the negotiations Saturday.

Pujols had another spectacular season in 2010, hitting 42 home runs, driving in 118 runs and batting .312.

Pujols has established himself as one of the greatest players ever to major league baseball and many consider he could be the greatest player ever when he retires.

After seeing players of lesser talent get major contracts, such as Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and new Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth, Pujols must be curious of the dollars he could earn on the free agent market.

Howard’s five-year contract at $25 million per season is outrageous, but what would Pujols earn per season, especially when he’s better than Howard?

Would anyone pay $30 million or more for one player, even if that player is Albert Pujols? 

Well, you have to look at the big spending teams. The New York Yankees already have committed eight years and millions of dollars to first baseman Mark Teixeira, and Pujols would not agree to be a DH only, because he is a very good fielder.

The Red Sox don’t need a first baseman, and the Phillies have Howard. While Pujols could easily get $30 million per season in a new deal, there are very few teams if any that could afford that figure.

Pujols is a once-in-a-generation talent and has shown no signs of slowing down. He loves St. Louis, and the team, and it would be a big surprise if he leaves the Cardinals.

The Cardinals have shown a commitment to winning every season Albert Pujols has been in St. Louis, and re-signing him will ensure their commitment to the 2012 season and beyond.

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Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Over the past 10 seasons, Albert Pujols has established himself as the most consistent player in baseball. His season averages (119 runs, 41 HRs, 123 RBI, eight steals, .331 batting average) are unreachable by most others’ standards.

His career lows (99 runs, 32 HRs, 103 RBI, .312 batting average) coupled with the fact that he’s never missed more than 19 games in a single season make him the safest pick on draft day.

There are, however, subtle signs that suggest some of his skills may be diminishing. For example, Pujols’ contact and zone contact rates have declined noticeably over the last three seasons:

Contact Rate

• 2008: 90.1 percent
• 2009: 86.6 percent
• 2010: 85.4 percent

Zone Contact Rate

• 2008: 95.8 percent
• 2009: 94.4 percent
• 2010: 90.6 percent

Despite these declines, Pujols is still well above the league averages of contact rate (80.7 percent) and zone contact rate (88.1 percent).

His hacks at pitches outside the strike zone are also trending in the wrong direction:

O-Swing Rate

• 2008: 21.6 percent
• 2009: 22.9 percent
• 2010: 27.5 percent

While Pujols’ 2010 O-swing rate was on the good side of the league average (29.3 percent), it’s still worth mentioning. In fact, these numbers may be the simple result of a league-wide boost in the quality of pitching we’ve seen over the last couple years. Either way, Pujols is still only 31 and remains the top producer in fantasy baseball.

 ORIGINAL ARTICLE: FANTASY BASEBALL INSIDERS

Previous articles from Fantasy Baseball Insiders:

• 2011 Projections: Adrian Beltre
• The Sub-2.50 ERA Curse: Why 5 Elite Starting Pitchers May Regress in 2011
• 2010 Batting Average on Balls in Play Leaders: What to Expect in 2011?
• 2011 Closer’s Corner: Papelbon, Cordero and Rivera Are the Only Reliable Options

Follow Fantasy Baseball Insiders on Facebook and Twitter.

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This is probably not the headline St. Louis Cardinal fans were hoping to see as they head towards the 2011 season. They were hoping to see a headline that read something like this, “Albert Pujols Signs 7-Year Extension.”

That headline still might happen, but if the Cardinals are going to make that happen, they better get a move on it.

According to Andrew Moses on Twitter, the Cardinals were informed by Pujols’ camp that they have until the beginning of Spring Training to work out an extension with the best player in the game. Originally, the Cardinals thought they had until the end of spring training to work something out.

So there is good news and bad news to this. If you are a Cardinal fan, which one do you want to hear first? I feel most people take the bad news first when given the option, so I will drop that on you first.

The bad news is that it very much appears Pujols is headed towards free agency after the 2011 season. The only team that doesn’t have to worry about their superstars leaving town when they become free agents is the New York Yankees. For the other 29 teams in baseball, all bets are off when it comes to re-signing their superstars.

And if Pujols makes it to free agency, all bets will be off in regards to him re-signing with the Cardinals. There will be five-to-six legit contenders for his services.

The good news? The Yankees, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies don’t need a first baseman. Those are the only teams that could have blown the Cardinals out of the water with an absurd contract. With those teams for all intents and purposes out of the bidding, the Cardinals should be on a level playing field with the other teams interested in Pujols.

I think the teams that will be interested in Pujols will be the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles. Of all those teams, the Orioles would be my dark horse. Derrek Lee is only on a one-year contract and Pujols could be the guy to put the Orioles back on the baseball map.

But even if it’s not the Orioles who make a run at Pujols, I don’t believe any of those teams I mentioned can blow the Cardinals out of the water. If Pujols really wants to return to the Cardinals and they make a competitive offer, then they should be able to afford to keep him.

If the Cardinals and Pujols aren’t able to work something out before the start of Spring Training (which is in a month by the way), then this will be one of the biggest story lines throughout the 2011 season.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg.

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An already deep Cardinals rotation added some surplus on Friday, inking Miguel Batista and Ian Snell to minor-league deals. The Post-Dispatch reports that Batista can become a free agent if he’s not assured a spot on the big-league team by the final week of Spring Training, and that Snell has a similar option for June 1.

Batista, who turns 40 early next month, has already played in nine big-league cities in a career that began with the Pirates in 1992. He pitched both as a spot starter and long reliever last season with the Nationals.

His one start received national attention, as he took the mound to replace rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg on short notice, to a chorus of boos from the paying public. After the game, he made the remark, “Imagine if you go to see Miss Universe, then you end up having Miss Iowa, you might get those kind of boos.”

He was exceptional in that one start, handcuffing the first-place Atlanta Braves to just three hits and one walk in five shutout innings, while striking out six.

Batista wasn’t the only former Pirates farmhand with a penchant for the strikeout that the Redbirds added. Ian Snell made his big-league debut for Pittsburgh in 2004, when he gave up just one hit, to the Cardinals’ John Mabry.

Of the two, Snell has much more potential with the Cardinals. Despite a disappointing season with the Mariners last year, Snell is just 29, and holds a career strikeout rate of 7.2 K/9. From 2006-08, he averaged 172 strikeouts per 162 games.

However, after a strong 2007 campaign, in which he posted career bests with a 3.76 ERA, 208 innings pitched, and 2.9 BB/9, Snell hasn’t been the same pitcher.

In 2008, he had a league-high in OBP-against (.385) and triples allowed (9), and his careening career reached its nadir in 2010, when, after struggling with injuries and failing to hold onto a roster spot for the two previous seasons, he allowed eight runs and struck out only one in 1.2 innings against Texas.

Despite his troubles with the Pirates and Mariners, Snell could benefit greatly from a change of scenery. His struggles have often been attributed to depression and a disenchantment with his playing environment. Many players have found new life after coming to St. Louis, a town that is widely known for celebrating even the lowliest of middle relievers as demigods.

Snell may also benefit from the tutelage of legendary coach Dave Duncan, who has turned many players with less talent than Snell into All-Stars.

Time will tell if the new coach and town help Snell’s and Batista’s careers.

The Cardinals also announced their non-roster invitees on Friday: pitchers Brandon Dickson, Joe Kelly, Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, Adam Ottavino, Kevin Thomas and Raul Valdes, catchers Nick Derba, Steven Hill, Audry Perez and Robert Stock, infielders Matt Carpenter and Donovan Solano and outfielders Amaury Cazana, Shane Robinson and Nick Stavinoha.

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