Tense moments in Cardinal Nation .

Fors, you ignorant DeWitt apologist.

My thought is that the longer this drags out, the closer the Cards will have to pay to market rate.  Would some team offer $300 million for 10 years, particularly if they had a handshake agreement from Pujols that he will walk away from baseball when he can no longer perform at the level that justifies that salary (as you have indicated on multiple occasions that you think Pujols would)?  Yes!  If some team offers him that, will a second team bump their offer to $310 or $320?  Maybe.  If the Yanks didn't already have Texeira locked up, I think they wouldn't hesitate to go to $350.  Even so, I don't buy the argument that either the Yankees or the Red Sox won't be interested merely because they have inferior players already locked into big money contracts. 

Supposing that your friend was right, and that Pujols's agent approached the Cards last year with $125/5 and the Cards stonewalled him, and now the market has gone up and the Cards are still stonewalling him.  I think Pujols is now in the drivers seat and it's time for the Cards to make nice.  offering $196 million is like saying, "Hey, we're too cheap to spend $4 million more to do something splashy for Albert the Great."  It's time to think of numbers that soothe the aggrieved lion.  If DeWitt can't round up now, it's over.

Last edited by Max (1/22/2011 11:43 pm)

Every day I expect to hear that he has signed.  As each day that end I get alittle sadder.

Max wrote:

Personally I favor something splashy, like $30 million for 5 years, with a series of option years triggered by performance (something along the lines of 500 AB, .300/30/100) that would push the contract to the largest of all time.  Pujols gets recognition as the first $30 million player, a guarantee he can end his career as a Cardinal, and a very fat payday as long as he plays like a superstar.  The Cardinals get the financial security of being on the hook for only 5 years, with each year thereafter guaranteed only if Pujols is playing well.  More importantly, they lock up the greatest player of his age for the life of his career, allow him to retire with the Cards, go to the Hall in Cardinals red, and keep the fan base happy.

Otherwise, if the ownership group thinks that they can "bungle" this, and figure that the fans will believe this was a 'what happens when bad things happen to good people" plot, they can forget it.  My sentiments would follow Pujols to Wrigleyville if need be, and DeWitt could give himself a daily enema of cash, for all I would care.

If the Cardinals are taking that approach that might be why the talks are taking so long.  Pujols enough  has leverage to ask and expect more.  He is doing them a favor by not letting the contract talks go public.

Max wrote:

Personally I favor something splashy, like $30 million for 5 years, with a series of option years triggered by performance (something along the lines of 500 AB, .300/30/100) that would push the contract to the largest of all time.  Pujols gets recognition as the first $30 million player, a guarantee he can end his career as a Cardinal, and a very fat payday as long as he plays like a superstar.  The Cardinals get the financial security of being on the hook for only 5 years, with each year thereafter guaranteed only if Pujols is playing well.

That would violate the CBA. Incentives/extensions cannot be based on performance statistics. Only things like awards (MVP, All-Star) or appearance statistics.

There was a recent story (ESPN I think) that discussed how the Yankees had to get special league approval to give A-Rod the milestone incentives in his contract. I can't remember exactly how they got it approved, but the story discussed that the idea you're proposing doesn't pass muster.

Last edited by forsberg_us (1/24/2011 11:53 am)

I'm not sure I'm with you, Fors.  We could turn it around and say all the talk from ownership is bullshit because here we are, 2-3 weeks from D-Day and they haven't so much as made a single offer.  I think it is entirely justified for Pujols to expect closer to market value, as the Cards push the process closer to D-Day.  He carries all the risk at this point.  One injury and $200-300 million dollars in equity is wiped out.  It's like DeWitt is playing a game of chicken with him.

Besides, my whole 'offer' is structured around being splashy, but guaranteeing LESS money than in your, non-splashy offer.

Max wrote:

Besides, my whole 'offer' is structured around being splashy, but guaranteeing LESS money than in your, non-splashy offer.

Perhaps, but since your hypothetical offer violates the CBA, it's pretty meaningless.

Max wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

Max wrote:

Besides, my whole 'offer' is structured around being splashy, but guaranteeing LESS money than in your, non-splashy offer.

Perhaps, but since your hypothetical offer violates the CBA, it's pretty meaningless.

How so?

Check the bottom of the second page. Incentives cannot be based on statistics.

Max wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

Max wrote:

Besides, my whole 'offer' is structured around being splashy, but guaranteeing LESS money than in your, non-splashy offer.

Perhaps, but since your hypothetical offer violates the CBA, it's pretty meaningless.

How so?

I already explained that in an earlier post.