Should the Angels Have Signed Albert Pujols?
SodaHead Sports
2011/12/09 20:00:00
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35 votes
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50 votes
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Three-time National League Most Valuable Player Albert Pujols shocked the Major League Baseball world on Thursday, agreeing to a $254 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. The contract is the second-highest in baseball history, only behind the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, who received a 10-year deal for $275-million back in 2008. While St. Louis Cardinals fans are wondering how they lost the Babe Ruth of their organization, Angels fans are celebrating the acquisition of Pujols and top pitcher C.J. Wilson, who also agreed to a $77.5 million deal for five years.
"This is a monumental day for Angel fans and I could not be more excited," owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. Pujols' former employer had the opposite sentiment. "We are disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement to keep Albert Pujols in St. Louis," Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement.
"Albert is a great champion and we will always be thankful for his many achievements in a Cardinals uniform, as well as his contributions to the St. Louis community. I have the highest regard for Albert both personally and professionally, and appreciate his direct involvement in this process. I would like our fans to know that we tried our best to make Albert a lifetime Cardinal but unfortunately we were unable to make it happen."
This signing may be great for the Angels short-term, but Pujols is a 31-year-old man, 11 years into his career, locked in a 10-year deal with a NO TRADE CLAUSE. For the first five years of this deal, the Angels could be perennial World Series contenders. The last five however, could be crippling for the franchise when Albert Pujols' skills and worth to the team start to diminish.
"This is a monumental day for Angel fans and I could not be more excited," owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. Pujols' former employer had the opposite sentiment. "We are disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement to keep Albert Pujols in St. Louis," Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement.
"Albert is a great champion and we will always be thankful for his many achievements in a Cardinals uniform, as well as his contributions to the St. Louis community. I have the highest regard for Albert both personally and professionally, and appreciate his direct involvement in this process. I would like our fans to know that we tried our best to make Albert a lifetime Cardinal but unfortunately we were unable to make it happen."
This signing may be great for the Angels short-term, but Pujols is a 31-year-old man, 11 years into his career, locked in a 10-year deal with a NO TRADE CLAUSE. For the first five years of this deal, the Angels could be perennial World Series contenders. The last five however, could be crippling for the franchise when Albert Pujols' skills and worth to the team start to diminish.
Need to keep up with the Texas Rangers.
Albert can stretch out his career by DH-ing in the AL.
Fill in the missing super star hole that was created when Vladdy left.
This signing will put a lot of pressure on the Dodgers to do something with their franchise, or risk losing fans to the Angels
Good for Albert. He scored a huge payday. But come on Angels. Use your brains. Do you know how many good young up and comers you could have secured for that money?
Double Angel facepalm
Also he could always become a DH in the AL...
In Game 3 of the World Series, Pujols joined Babe Ruth (1926, 1928) and Reggie Jackson (1977) as the only players in baseball history to hit three home runs in a World Series game. Pujols was 5-for-6 with two singles, four runs scored, and six RBIs.
Pujols became the first player in World Series history to get hits in four consecutive innings: fourth (a single), fifth (a single), sixth (a home run and three RBIs), and seventh (home run and two RBIs). He tied records for most home runs (three), most hits (five), and most RBIs (six) in a World Series game, and established a new record with 14 total bases.
Game 3 was his 70th post-season game. In those 70 games, he has 254 at-bats with 87 hits and is hitting .343 with a .444 on-base percentage, and a .630 slugging percentage, with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs.
The Cards offered 10 years around 21-22 mil. That was borderline value for Pujols over a ten year span. More value up front with risk in the middle and trememdous risk on the back end. The Angels went crazy.
History repeats itself though. A decade ago, at the same hotel, an AL West team gave a slugger 252 mil over ten years. At this point that slugger has been moved to another team and is annually reviled for his lack of production. Meanwhile the original owner filed for bankruptcy. A decade down the line, instead of being the next Stan Musial (and very rich) Pujols will likely be the next A Rod hated in the League (and a little bit richer) while Arte Moreno may not be the Angels owner.
Good luck with that.