Pujols Signs With Angels

[Spider John]

Bernie nailed it this morning with his article... He blast Alberta over his comments.

wish I could have had the opportunity to ask Pujols these questions:

1. If you wanted to stay in St. Louis, then why demand the Alex Rodriguez deal (10 years, $275 million) at the outset of the negotiations? You knew that the Cardinals wouldn't be willing or able to pay it, so why make an unrealistic demand? I was in the "Pay Pujols" camp, but A-Rod money wasn't feasible in this instance.

2. If you were so determined to stay, then why did your side cut off negotiations at the beginning of 2011 spring training?

3. How would you expect the Cardinals to re-sign Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina (and pay for free agents) to put a winning team around you with so much invested in their first baseman?

4. Why would you resent the seven-year, $120 million contract given to Matt Holliday when you vocally challenged management to show that they were serious about fielding a consistent contender?

5. Were you trying to have it both ways? It seems that you were offended when the Cardinals wanted to pay you $26 million a year in a shorter-term deal to make you the game's second-highest paid player per annual average value. You didn't want that. You wanted 10 years instead. But then you were offended when the 10-year offer didn't include the higher annual average.

6. What about this quote, which you offered Saturday: "I made a decision. I'm being obedient. I didn't want to go to a place God didn't want me to go to."

Really? I wonder what God would have advised had the Angels offered less money than the Cardinals. I'm assuming God was angry over the Miami Marlins' refusal to offer no-trade protection in their contract bid. Can you tell us how God would have reacted if the Cardinals had offered $254 million or more over 10 years?

7. Pujols was won over when Moreno called him to turn on the charm in a 30-minute phone call. Is that all it took? An owner telling you what you wanted to hear, even though you had never met the man? That means more than what has been a mutually beneficial 11-year relationship with St. Louis?

8. Are we really supposed to believe that you would have accepted the Cardinals' $210 million over the Angels' $254 million if DeWitt had called to whisper sweet nothings while pleading with you to stay?

Oh, that's right. We forgot.

It wasn't about the money.



Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... z1gKit568Y

[Jocephus]

Does anyone know what the Marlins final offer was anyway? I heard after he told them no, it was no where close to the rumored $275 mil.

i'm not sure exactly but im under the impression it wasn't that much different from the cards, maybe a few million more...?

[cardinalsx]

I think Bernie got this one right. He captured my thoughts exactly here:

I'll just go ahead and conclude that the new TV deal made it awfully easy for Moreno to ride in on his horse like the shining knight and make Pujols feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

The Angels didn't have financial constraints. They didn't have to negotiate, which makes it rather easy to be the good guys in the bidding.

[Cronos]

No matter how hard Pujols and his handlers worked to portray Pujols as a victim forced into this life-changing decision by evil Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., the strategy wouldn't end in a home run. At best, it was a hard ground ball to third base, and a 5-4-3 double play.

Heh.

[Fat Strat]

Anyone read Burwell's column? I normally ignore what he writes, but this one was pretty interesting. I don't agree with his underlying assertion -- that the Cards blew it and they should have paid him whatever it took. But, what I find compelling is the whole Arte Moreno thing. Maybe this has been discussed already, but Moreno gets Albert and Dee Dee on the phone with him and his wife. They talk -- not for 5 minutes, but 30 whole minutes! Moreno calls Albert his "partner", and makes him feel all warm and huggy and loved and bubblegummy pink flowers and hot cocoa inside.

The oldest freakin' sales strategy in the book and the Pujols' bought it hook line and sinker. Win them over with your charm.

DeWitt is a cold, hard businessman who didn't gush over him and that's why he went to Anaheim. OK, Albert. That's fine. I just find it all so ridiculous. They paid you a lot of money. They gave you a lot of years. They gave you something like $30M extra just to stick around for another 10 years when this is all over. The Cards were not going to match that and you were not going to accept what the Cards did offer even if DeWitt was the Bill Clinton of baseball owners.

[OmahaCard79]

You know, one great point Bernie pulled up was about the Cardinals debt service on the stadium.

I wonder how many of those "sign Pujols at all costs!" people were the same ones complaining about public financing for Busch III.

DeWitt and co. sunk a ton of private money into that stadium. People have called them cheap on the designs for years, but outside of San Francisco (and maybe yankees?) no team has put more of their own money into a stadium. They should be commended for that.

I have no right to complain about how much public money was or wasn't put into Busch III as I don't live there and it's not my tax money. But, I don't think the people of STL can have their cake and eat it too either. If they wanted a $150 million payroll to rival the Angels and Red Sox, maybe they could have started with financing more of the new ballpark.

i'm not necessarily for that either and that wouldn't have guaranteed DeWitt would have put anything more into the payroll, but at the end of the day, it's a huge factor.

[longhornbaseball]

The oldest freakin' sales strategy in the book and the Pujols' bought it hook line and sinker. Win them over with your charm.

I don't think the Pujols' are the brightest of bulbs.

[Fat Strat]

The oldest freakin' sales strategy in the book and the Pujols' bought it hook line and sinker. Win them over with your charm.

I don't think the Pujols' are the brightest of bulbs.

I don't know. I think when you want something, you overlook a lot of other things. I bet in the back of their minds they wondered if this was just the full-court press. But, the money is what really mattered. End of story. The personal lovey-wovey makes it easier to accept leaving, but it was the money that made Moreno seem like he was the next Walt Disney.

[jim]

Anyone read Burwell's column? I normally ignore what he writes, but this one was pretty interesting..

Agree. Good article and worth reading

[robbotis]

I think all the old, and/or nice, Cards fans would hvae forgiven Albert for leaving. They'd give him a standing ovation when he eventually returns to Busch for a game, ceremony, whatever...

I like this 10 year Personal Services contract he got. Hopefully, everyone now sees, Albert's an Angel, not a Cardinal. Forever. He wants to be Mr. Angel when he's done. Good for him.

Can't wait to boo him every chance I get.