Definitely the latter.

Pujols and the Cardinals agree to extension....sort of.


"The St. Louis Cardinals and representatives for Albert Pujols(notes) have agreed to a 24-hour extension to reach a new contract out of respect for Stan Musial."


http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=As2X7ka8Q9RYjD7UZ7yqSpgRvLYF?slug=ap-cardinals-pujols

APRTW wrote:

Okay I guess I am lost on how this works.  The Cardinals just submitted an offer that Pujols declined.  After talking all offseason the Cardinals gave an unacceptible offer?  Why even submit an offer if you know he will turn it down?  Just to try and save face I assume.  Also if Pujols wants 10 years why would the Cardinals offer just 7 if they really wanted him to think about it.  Seems like that is a lowball number.  If they really wanted to keep Pujols from becoming a free agent they would have at least offered 8 years.  If I was Pujols and thought I should get a 10/300 deal anything less then 8/240 would be insulting.  Like Fors I wouldnt give Pujols a 10/240 contract.  I see that as top of the market.  However I see 8/240 as an honest fair offer.

That makes no sense at all.  I could see the club going 8/240 and saying THAT'S IT (but maybe throwing in two incentivized option years).  But if you do that, why in God's name wouldn't you say: "uh, sure, you don't like $240/8 but you'll go for $240/10?  Whatever you say Mr. Pujols.  I guess it's the same contract where you pretty much work for free for the last two years."

Looks that way

I remember AP posted something about deferred money.  I had posted a response discussing how the teams generally purchase an annuity to cover deferred money, so the team doesn't really pay the money in 2020, they pay a lesser value at the time of purchase.

I also remember AP pointing out that he didn't mean 10/240, that it should have been 10/300.

Fors are you hearing anything through the grapevine?

JUPITER, Fla. -- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa tries not to discuss the stalemated Albert Pujols contract negotiations. But La Russa can't tear himself away from his belief that the Major League Baseball Players' Association is applying pressure, overtly or otherwise, in the matter of a record-breaking, contract extension for the Cardinals' first baseman.

"I know what he's going through with the union, and to some extent, his representatives,'' said La Russa this morning at the Cardinals' camp. "His representatives are getting beat up by the union. 'Set the bar. Set the bar.'

"That's bull(bleep). Purely and truly. You've got to deal with it, but that's not the way it should be.

"It should be, 'Look at all the factors.' Values, loyalty, maybe there's a better opportunity someplace else. Maybe there's a better opportunity than here. All that stuff. But it shouldn't be the most money, the most money, the most money.

"I just know those forces are in place. I don't ask them about it. It's not my place to ask. I don't know much he's going to listen to it or is listening to it. But those are powerful forces." 

Asked what might happen next, both before and after Wednesday's noon Eastern time deadline for the completion of spring negotiations on Pujols' contract,  La Russa said, "I have no expectation of anything. I'm just confident that when Albert shows up, he'll get ready to play and we'll be ready to play around him. That's as far as I go. Stuff will get taken care of some way, somehow, some time."

And La Russa insisted he, Pujols and the rest of the Cardinals weren't going to be distracted by the perhaps season-long fallout of Pujols heading for free agency.

"It's been proven over and over and over again," said La Russa. "You control what you think about as an individual and as a team.

"If you can't handle that distraction, then you can't play on this club -- because then we won't have a chance. All you'd be doing is just making excuses. Albert is a prime example of someone who's dealt with distractions. He gets ready."

"In all the years I've been around and with all the players that have gone through this, if there ever was a player that you can confidently say has got a steel trap for a mind and can tune things out, it's Albert."

To the suggestion that fans might turn on Pujols at least a bit if he doesn't accept a Cardinals offer before the season starts, La Russa said, "I think Albert and the Cardinals have built up so many points with our fans that whatever happens.. . there are going to be some people who can't help themselves. . . I think the great majority of people who support our club are going to support the Cardinals and support Albert.

"His faith is so strong it carries him through a lot of stuff. He's not going to want to disappoint people _ whether they're on the earth or above the earth.

"So if he's not signed Opening Day, I don't think there's going to be anything more than the biggest cheers for Albert Pujols. There's 10 years of points he's made and the organization's made 100 years of it.

"If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But I don't think so."



When La Russa was asked if he was eager to put this matter in the rear-view mirror, he said, "I don't pay attention to it. If you're talking about not getting distracted, I'll lead the way. I'm not going to get distracted."

But the questions will continue and La Russa said, pleasantly, "You know what the answer is going to be, so quit asking. I'm going to encourage our players to do the same. In the end, it's not being uncooperative or anything. It's the reality of why we're here.

"My dad always said, 'The more confusing it gets, the simpler you keep it.' The simple thing is it's our team against the teams in the National League and sometimes against the American and get to October.

I have to agree with TLR strongly on this one.  It is BS to be push in a direction because it is best for the union.  I hope Pujols forgets that and does what is best for him.

Nothing, but I'll throw in my 2 cents

8/224 with an option in year 9 that vests if Pujols has 1000 plate appearances in year 7 & 8 combined or 600 plate appearances in year 8 and an option for year 10 that vests in similar fashion.

Pujols gets to say he got a 10 year deal, the Cardinals are only on the hook for 8 guaranteed.

If Pujols is healthy enough to still be playing significant time in years 7 & 8, he deserves to continue as a Cardinal.  If something happens and his health fails, then he's a Cardinal thru 40.

windwalker wrote:

Reading bad stuff in the Twittersphere now. Almost all of it's uninformed, and given that this post was written by Steve Phillips, it should probably be similarly characterized.

However, note the last sentence of this take. If this is going to be the ballclub's position on this, then losing Albert will KILL them at the gate, because it leaves the impression that they'd rather cry poverty than retain the face of the franchise, and one of the game's all-time greats. If they let him walk because they didnt want to go 10/275, and they tell the whole world that that's the reason, then they'll have a donnybrook that would frighten Hosni Mubarak on their hands.

This will make the Curse Of The Bambino look like nothing.

http://mlbyouthjerseys.com/blog/mlb-news/sources-albert-pujols-cardinals-make-no-progress-in-negotiations/

There will be no fig leaf large enough to hide their shame; it will be the career-defining embarrassment of DeWitt and Mozeliak. 

But assuming that Pujols reaches free agency, there is still one hope, I think. Namely, As with Cliff Lee, Pujols can go out, get a bunch of interest and several hard offers that finally set his market value, then go back to the Cards and say, now where are we on that extension?  The Cards, get what they wanted, which is proof that they are not negotiating in a vaccuum, and Albert gets to hand them a discount over what he could have gotten from any one of a number of other teams.  That said, I repeat that a very likely outcome is that Pujols attacks this season with a mission, has a monster year, and his value goes up from $300/10.

windwalker wrote:

One thing working in the Redbirds' favor is that elbow... it makes it advantageous for Albert to nail down a contract now. He blows that thing out during the season and it will cost him tens of millions. At the same time, IMO if they make the decision not to agree to a deal today, then they're cutting bait. DeWitt has to know that it's going to cost more once the Angels and Rangers and Scrubs and whoever else are involved in it.

Pujols has played through more then his fair share of injuries.  His legs, back and elbow are yearly struggles for him.  A lesser man would been on the DL alot more.  Other teams have to be alittle scared of that.  Even though he isnt on the DL alot his injury history has scare them.  As he gets older will he be able to fight through those injuries or will he spend alot of time on the DL.  10 years is along time to fight off injuries.  To me he seems like a player that wont age well.

You think the Cubs, Angels or Ranger will outbid the Cardinals on the open market but what do you think they will be willing to pay.  Over 10/300?  I think the sleeper pick that isnt getting alot of press to sign Pujols is the Red Sox.  If Adrian Gonzalez doesnt get an extension the Red Sox are a team that can offer top dollar.  I also think it is a club Pujols wouldnt mind playing for.

windwalker wrote:

One thing working in the Redbirds' favor is that elbow... it makes it advantageous for Albert to nail down a contract now. He blows that thing out during the season and it will cost him tens of millions. At the same time, IMO if they make the decision not to agree to a deal today, then they're cutting bait. DeWitt has to know that it's going to cost more once the Angels and Rangers and Scrubs and whoever else are involved in it.

I don't think that's the case at all Windy.  I don't believe there is any chance at all that they have a deal in place before tomorrow, but I don't think that means the Cardinals are done.

Maybe I'm dead wrong, but I'm not convinced that there are going to be teams lining up to offer him 10 years.  When A-Rod opted out of his contract with the Yankees, were there any other teams that entered into the fray?  I seriously don't remember, but it seems to me that the pre-steroid A-Rod was at least as relevant as Pujols is today.  I don't remember a lot of teams trying to sign him.

I'm not a huge Miklasz fan, but I thought his Bytes from yesterday were a pretty good read.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/article_27472004-386c-11e0-8e5f-0017a4a78c22.html

forsberg_us wrote:

windwalker wrote:

One thing working in the Redbirds' favor is that elbow... it makes it advantageous for Albert to nail down a contract now. He blows that thing out during the season and it will cost him tens of millions. At the same time, IMO if they make the decision not to agree to a deal today, then they're cutting bait. DeWitt has to know that it's going to cost more once the Angels and Rangers and Scrubs and whoever else are involved in it.

I don't think that's the case at all Windy.  I don't believe there is any chance at all that they have a deal in place before tomorrow, but I don't think that means the Cardinals are done.

Maybe I'm dead wrong, but I'm not convinced that there are going to be teams lining up to offer him 10 years.  When A-Rod opted out of his contract with the Yankees, were there any other teams that entered into the fray?  I seriously don't remember, but it seems to me that the pre-steroid A-Rod was at least as relevant as Pujols is today.  I don't remember a lot of teams trying to sign him.

I'm not a huge Miklasz fan, but I thought his Bytes from yesterday were a pretty good read.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/article_27472004-386c-11e0-8e5f-0017a4a78c22.html

Bernie sums it up well.  Frankly we all deserve a pat on the back.  We're down to about 4-7 guys, but a good writer could have put together that piece by Bernie by reading this thread with an open mind and summarizing what we had written.