Albert Pujols is being wooed by the Miami Marlins, but that hasn't forced his former team's hand just yet. SI.com's Jon Heyman reports (on Twitter) that the Cardinals do not plan to greatly increase the nine-year, $210MM contract offer they made to Pujols before the season.
The Marlins are the only team to extend an offer to Pujols so far this offseason, but we have heard that the Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, and Rangers are unlikely to pursue the slugger. It was reported earlier today that Miami's offer "probably isn’t close to being enough" to lure Pujols away from St. Louis. Only a handful of teams can afford to match the Cardinals' original offer, so there's no reason for them to sweeten the pot just yet.
slider32
I think Albert signs with the Cards, but I think the Cubs, Nats, or someone else offers him more than 9/210, something like 9/225. Remember Lerner is worth 4.2 billion, if he wants Albert he will out bid the Cards.
JohnS
Bill Dewitt is worth 4 Billion $$$$.
Onetimeaccount
I remember, thanks for reminding me.
Jrdbooks
It’s really sad if people in St. Louis hate him if he leaves. I’m sure they won’t because they seem like great fans. With all the Lebron James debacle, Cleveland’s owner, fans reacting the way they did. Some of it I’m sure was justified considering how Lebron did it, having it on ESPN and not telling the owner first. My thing, would if Albert just wants to play somewhere else? Why can’t fans just honor and thank him for all he did and move on? Albert isn’t going to make a big deal like Lebron did. But I can see a hate campaign against him if he leaves, which would be sad. I do see him signing in St. Louis though. But it would be great for another city if he goes. All this is out the window if he goes to the Cubs, with their rivalry in all lol. Anyway, St. Louis needs to have plans B,C,D,and E in place if he goes. Jim
baseball52
How much was the Cards’ first offer? 200/9 reportedly, right? If he’s making any less than $25 million a year, it’s an absolute steal.
Lunchbox45
it might be a steal at first but when he’s in his final 3/4 years of the deal that 25 mil can really squeeze a team
baseball52
At that point, the sustained success would have paid off.
Sean
You would think they would either front load the contract to make him amongst the highest paid players for the next few years or back load it and essentially make him an employee for life
rayking
I agree with you, and I like how the Cardinals are playing this. They’ve determined what they are comfortable paying him, and they’re not going to exceed that. If they get him for $25 mil per season for 9 years, great; if he gets more elsewhere, so be it.
baseball52
It seems like he’ll only get more money if he sacrifices years. I don’t see anyone giving him more than 200 million over 9 years. The only team that could is the Cubs, but by Theo’s comments they’re not pursuing him. Then again, I’m not totally ruling it out. It would be Theo being Theo.
Marten52
The original offer from the Cards was 9 years $210 million plus a small stake in the team.
bigpat
Did somebody say steak?
JohnS
nor
Craig Cutler
Then the past would say Cashman would outbid him last minute, but now unless it’s personal like Jaws 3, Theo should be in the clear 🙂
Andy_B
or at least they aren’t stupid enough to signal to the media their intentions on raising their price before they’ve been outbid.
DD
I believe the Marlins offered something like 5/130 on a stacked rate…like 22/24/26/28/30.
They are no fools with bad contracts…with the exception to John Buck, he must have “photos” of Loria or something.
Sean
really
DD
I believe the Marlins offered something like 5/130 on a stacked rate…like 22/24/26/28/30.
They are no fools with bad contracts…with the exception to John Buck, he must have “photos” of Loria or something.
JohnS
Nobody knows what the original offer was…. just speculation & rumor.
baseball52
Hence the word “reportedly”.
Marten52
The original offer from the Cards was 9 years $210 million plus a small stake in the team.
stl_cards16
There wasn’t a small stake in the team. That has to be approved by MLB and there has never even been a report that the Cardinals have asked permission to discuss that in negotiations. It’s been speculated that they COULD offer part ownership, but I haven’t seen anything that has said it has been discussed at all.
JohnS
Don’t know where you heard that non sense. Just a rumor flying around this sight. Original offer never been disclosed,
Marten52
The original offer from the Cards was 9 years $210 million plus a small stake in the team.
Krizzeg
If I was a GM I would have a real hard time offering a 31 year old (and quite possibly older) a 9 year contract much less a contract worth 25+ million a year.
Of course if I was a GM my team would lose 100+ games a year and I would be lucky to complete a second season… So take that for a what it’s worth…
cards2WS
Come on. This age fraud for Albert is a joke. He is in great shape and that’s all that matters.
DD
You can say that again…
DD
You can say that again…
ice_hawk1002
great shape? hes bordering on fat these days imo. doesnt mean he wont be able to hold up and hit for several years, but i wouldnt feel completely confident about it either.
cards2WS
Come on. This age fraud for Albert is a joke. He is in great shape and that’s all that matters.
cards2WS
Come on. This age fraud for Albert is a joke. He is in great shape and that’s all that matters.
DD
enough already!
DD
enough already!
cards2WS
Come on. This age fraud for Albert is a joke. He is in great shape and that’s all that matters.
cards2WS
Come on. This age fraud for Albert is a joke. He is in great shape and that’s all that matters.
DD
You can say that again…
DD
You can say that again…
cards2WS
Come on. This age fraud for Albert is a joke. He is in great shape and that’s all that matters.
stl_cards16
He’s not “quite possibly older” if you know what you’re talking about. Do some research before you question a persons character.
Also, I don’t know why saying things like this has been accepted in the baseball world. That’s no different than saying “Vince Young can’t be a good QB because he’s black” or “Black pitchers are never good closers”
Krizzeg
LMAO!
Seriously? There have been been questions about his age in the past and I left it open to question since nothing has been proven one way or another. Maybe he’s 31, maybe he’s 33, who knows. I wouldn’t want to gamble 50-100 million dollars on it though…
Especially after the worst season of his career. I didn’t say it was a bad season but it was the worst…
Krizzeg
LMAO!
Seriously? There have been been questions about his age in the past and I left it open to question since nothing has been proven one way or another. Maybe he’s 31, maybe he’s 33, who knows. I wouldn’t want to gamble 50-100 million dollars on it though…
Especially after the worst season of his career. I didn’t say it was a bad season but it was the worst…
stl_cards16
He’s not “quite possibly older” if you know what you’re talking about. Do some research before you question a persons character.
Also, I don’t know why saying things like this has been accepted in the baseball world. That’s no different than saying “Vince Young can’t be a good QB because he’s black” or “Black pitchers are never good closers”
JacksTigers
Albert went to high school in KC. Not sure they could fool the US gov. about his age.
Krizzeg
He moved here at 16 supposedly and didn’t become a citizen until 11 years later. That’s a lot of time to get documents in order…
Dennis
Pujols isn’t going anywhere.
DD
Sounds like you have him hostage!?!?!
mateodh
Too soon.
DD
yeah…sorry bout that
mateodh
Too soon.
DD
Sounds like you have him hostage!?!?!
Dave 32
I’m glad the Cardinals aren’t stepping up to the plate and bidding against themselves without an offer from another team on the table.
If some other team decides to make a serious bid, I believe Pujols will give St. Louis a chance to match it. If not, I guess he wasn’t serious about coming back to St. Louis the entire time.
And it’s just not right to make St. Louis pay more for someone who isn’t getting offered more from any other team. Will the Cubs or Angels top 210m? I have my doubts…
chico65
Didn’t they increase their offer for Holliday any other bidder?
Dave 32
Maybe. Nobody knows if there was a real negotiation in the offseason last year or whether the Cardinals just made the one offer we have a vague idea about.
Not a ton of details to work with here to be honest, other than the lack of offers on the table from other teams and the (probable) fact that its a 9 year/200m-ish offer so far from St. Louis.
chico65
Sorry man, accidently left out who I was referring to. I’m not sure there will be that many bidders for Pujols but there always seems to be a surprise team out of nowhere, too
Dave 32
right, if you meant Holliday then they totally bid against themselves and hopefully that crap doesn’t happen again this year. Mystery teams shouldn’t enter into conversations but hey, good for the agents that can play that kind of poker.
flickadave
After what the Nat’s gave Werth, you can never be sure they won’t be the mystery team again.
Dave 32
right, if you meant Holliday then they totally bid against themselves and hopefully that crap doesn’t happen again this year. Mystery teams shouldn’t enter into conversations but hey, good for the agents that can play that kind of poker.
Ryan Knox
The surprise team is always the Orioles or Mariners.
Ryan Knox
The surprise team is always the Orioles or Mariners.
Ryan Knox
No other team is going to offer that, except possibly the cubs, who lack the other key ingredient that Pujols is looking for… winning. I don’t see any team coming even close to what St. Louis is offering, and the entire point in all of this was to try and force the Cardinals bid higher. Do the Rangers or the Angels really need to invest 25 million dollars a season more in their offense or are they going to invest that in what they need which is pitching.
Ryan Knox
On one hand, its nice to know that we don’t have to bid against the Yankees, Phillies or Red Sox, who stop and nothing in signing the players they want, and pay more than any other team can. On the other hand, I think it makes Pujols a bit of a jerk, that his intent seems to be to squeeze every last dime he can out of the Cardinals, when he could take a meager 18 million dollars a season, invest the rest in the rest of the team, keep winning World Series Championships, and let his number speak for themselves, indicating how good a baseball player he was, rather than his yearly salary indicating how good he was, but that’s just me, I think I’d be able to get by in life with 18 million a year for the next 9 years. I’ll just pay higher ticket prices and be happy he’s a Cardinal.
NomarGarciaparra
“it makes Pujols a bit of a jerk”
That’s a completely unfair statement. There’s nothing wrong with Pujols wanting to make more money. He’s the best player in baseball and he should be paid accordingly. Why should he be paid less than other players who are not even on his level?
Why doesn’t he just accept a meager 5 million then? I’m sure that more than enough to get by as well.
Ryan Knox
Its not unfair at all, he wants to win, but at the same time, take every last dime he can from the Cardinals, what does he expect them to surround him with, how does he expect them to remain competitive? There’s a reasonable difference between say 18 million and 25 million compared to 5 million. And we are talking about an annual salary that is the GNP of Mozambique here, not a league minimum salary.
NomarGarciaparra
That doesn’t make him a jerk though. This is business…get a grip of reality. He can demand what he wants – in the end, he may not get it. But demanding what he wants doesn’t make him a jerk.
By your definition, there are way too many jerks in baseball to count.
SunsetStripper
I don’t think the union would look to kindly on Pujols signing for “only” $18 million. They want him to set the market price for future players.
Dave 32
I totally agree, as long as the demands we’ve heard are genuine and not just the kind of stuff an agent tells the media.
He just won a series, so maybe winning isn’t as important as a big payday. Money does funny things to players who already have two rings..
Ryan Knox
I don’t see why its so difficult for the Cardinals to come up with a more creative contract, and give him a stake in ownership when he retires, Bill DeWitt can’t own the team forever, Pujols has made him millions, making him a partner isn’t to much to ask.
Ryan Knox
I don’t see why its so difficult for the Cardinals to come up with a more creative contract, and give him a stake in ownership when he retires, Bill DeWitt can’t own the team forever, Pujols has made him millions, making him a partner isn’t to much to ask.
MauerPower
Albert Pujols isn’t going anywhere. The fans in St. Louis love him, and if he leaves, he will be an outcast there. He’d just be another guy that plays for the money.
pgk1981
Yeah, I don’t know how I’d be able to deal with being an outcast in St. Louis, MO. It’s like, why even go on living?
ATL_Mindset
Professionals aren’t supposed to get paid to do their j
DD
Yeah hed be leaving for the $$$, cause in St Louis he plays for free i suppose…(sarcasm)
cyberboo
Any team that signs a player for 25M or more a season that lasts longer than four years are mortgaging the future of their team. Sure, give Pujols or Fielder 30M a season, but teams aren’t increasing payroll by that amount to pay them. The Cards had a payroll of 109M in 2011. To pay Pujols, they will have 92M tied up in six players, leaving 17M for the rest of the team. What happens when players making the minimum start earning dramatically more to keep them. Albert keeps saying he wants the team to remain competitive, but if he shows greed now, he plays with triple A players, not talented players that could ensure success. The Gm is then forced to decide which players he keeps and replaces with prospects from the minors and which players he will attempt to trade to free salary. When it comes to 35 and older players making 20M a year, the market for them is next to zero, regardless who they are. Teams then hope they can find a sucker that has a brain cramp, trades for the player, and then they find themselves on the unemployment line, per Tony Reagins and Wells. Epstein bailed on the Red Sox before the insanity with Lackey, Crawford, A-gon, etc paralyzes the team for the next ten years.
Ryan Knox
That’s the great hypocrisy, He wants to win, but get payed more than Alex Rodriguez, knowing full well Alex Rodriguez’s contract tied the Rangers hands. Sometimes I wonder if there was much more truth to what LaRussa was saying about the Players Union back in spring training than anybody thought. Pujols’ may think that he gave a great discount to the Cardinals in his last contract, which was much less than he was worth based on the market, but at the same time, He won 2 World Series Championships with a team that plays in a metro area of less than 4 million people.
FrankTheFunkasaurusRex
You were fine until “Epstein bailed on the Red Sox before the insanity with Lackey, Crawford, A-gon, etc paralyzes the team for the next ten years”.
FamousGrouse
The dollar is devaluing fast. Get paid in gold bars Pujols!
MetsMagic
Didn’t Alex Rodriguez want the Mets to have a clause in his contract that entitled him to have his own merchandise tent outside Shea?
MetsMagic
Didn’t Alex Rodriguez want the Mets to have a clause in his contract that entitled him to have his own merchandise tent outside Shea?
FamousGrouse
The dollar is devaluing fast. Get paid in gold bars Pujols!
stl_cards16
It’s funny that back in spring training most people laughed at the Cardinals offer with a ” There’s no way Albert is taking that small of an offer” attitude. It appears that Mozeliak knew the market better than anyone expected. He deserves credit for holding his line when $250MM-$300MM numbers were being thrown around by everyone.
NYPOTENCE
You’re talking as Pujols already signed. Pujols is gettin a “BIG” contract one way or the other.
stl_cards16
I’m not saying that $210MM gets it done, but all of the sudden most “experts” think that’s about what it will take to bring him back. A lot of people don’t think another team will even match that offer. So, he had the market right. Albert is not getting 10/$300MM from anyone like was speculated 9 months ago.
rayking
And if he does get a 10/$250mil+ offer from someone, I’m fine with him leaving. The rumored offer of 9/$210mil, if true, is as far as we should go. Additional years or additional money will cripple the team way too much.
JohnS
The Cardinal offer from last year might be his best offer. Whatever that offer was…
Dodgersarelife
Ned Colleti Interviews with Pujols:
John 87
Not funny
Dodgersarelife
Now that i look at it. Your right, agreed…. 🙁
NYPOTENCE
Nice try, maybe next time. 🙁
DD
wheres the funny part?
NomarGarciaparra
When are you going to finish the story?
FS54 2
too soon.
Dodgersarelife
Ned Colleti Interviews with Pujols:
JohnOrpheus
Cards need to hack off a couple years and increase the AAV. Something like 6/$180 mil or 7/$196.
Andy_B
Why would the cardinals announce their intentions of increasing their bid when there isn’t a higher offer on the table?
DT Flush234
Cardinals will hire Mike Matheny as manager on Tuesday then Albert signs a 9 year 220 million contract with the team. Albert will be able to buy the Bike that his son wants.
Stl_Great
Albert’s son has plenty of bikes…believe me I know….he won’t for long…
genius.gm.on.mlb.the.show
ahaha yeah and alberts son will be able to buy his son a new bike and so on for the next oh…idk next 600 generations?. Idk if the pujols family will have to work for a while….
stewie75
he’s karl malone with a few titles. he loves being a HUGE fish in a small bowl, he’ll never leave.
optionn
Cards got a ring from Albert. It will be all downhill and injury riddled from here. Best to save that big $ and move on. He is going to get 10 years 280 million from someone.
flickadave
From what I can tell, Missouri has a 6% income tax rate compared to Florida not having any personal income taxes. The Marlins might only have to match or slightly exceed the St. Louis offer to actually win the bidding war.
J Inman
Only problem with this analysis is that miami has a 14% higher cost of living than the rest of the country, while St. Louis is considered to be 10% lower. So in actuality, for “all things to be equal” the marlins offer will have to be much higher.
disgustedcubfan
After signing a deal possibly worth as much as 1/4 of a billion dollars, I doubt the local cost of living is going to be a factor in his decision.
flickadave
Good point but I have a feeling that the cost of living for where Pujols would be hanging out in Miami would be even more than 14% over the highest rent district in St. Louis. The extra $12+ million in tax savings would offset those extra expenses and he would get to live in a sweet pad in South Beach instead of St. Louis. If I’m Albert and the offers are around the same in total dollars, I’m heading for Miami.
MilwaukeeBravesFan
I’m pretty sure that “cost of living” is figured off median income families in the state… saying the cost of living in St. Louis is 10% less means like $5,000 dollars less per year, which will basically be like a rounding error in Albert’s checking account.
DrHMD
There are so many factors in this equation, it takes a lot of effort to see the final solution. First, Albert Pujols is a great player and will be for 3-4 more years, He will hit around 300, his mid 30s in HR and drive in around 100 a year. So will ALlen Craig for a lot less money. ANd the Cardinals have a first baseman at double A who could be a 30 HR guy and a 300 hitter. Secondly Pujols production , like most players, will go down progressively over the next 5-8 years and it is doubtful he will be the force he is now at 37-38 to 40 years of age. Third, you have to build a team around one, one like the one that exists now in St Louis, Think about the environment ALbert now gets to play in, He has been to the WS 3 x in the past decade, he is on a world champion for the second time, he is an icon in the city and the team has the prospects of getting to the WS 2-3 more times in the next 5 years. Only the Philloies and maybe the Brewers have that much talent, THe Cardinals also have Shelby Miller and Carlos Martinez in the pipeline who look like great pitching prospects, Adam Wainright coming back next year and he has great protection in Hoiday and Berkman behind him and Freese adn Molina. And St Louis is one of the best baseball cities in America. Why would he want to leave, Certainly there are other great cities, but he will never be the city celebrity he is in St Louis in most other cities. Some because they have other teams and stars that outshine the baseball team (Miami Heat), the Bears, etc, A Cardinal in St Louis is like being a Packer in Green Bay. It is said that his agent and the union is pushing him.They are going to cause one of baseball’s most popular players to become a magnet for boos in the city that loved hmi, ALso, shuld he sign with the Marlins, how awkward will it be in spring training where they share the facility in Jupiter witht the Cardinals. There are only 4 or 5 teams left on the East coast of Florida, if one would move to the West Coast or to Arizona, it becomes very difficult to find someone to play without a 3-4 hour bus ride,
Anyway, the Cardinals will survive and succeed without ALbert, They would also do very well to keep him. He will survive without the Cardinals, but he would do very well to stay in St Louis,
Its more than money for his hapiness, but the union and his agent see the dollar signs first and the endorsements etc. Albert would appeal to the Latin Community in Florida and the Carribean.
The Cardinals would be nbetter to spend the money on middle infielders. And who knows, Prince Fielder may be the better bargain of the two.
Did I ramble enough to confuse everyone, hope not,
casorgreener
Cool story bro…
J Inman
Albert is a smart guy. It’s hard not to listen to people whispering in your ear but in the end, he will make his own decision. Whatever it may be
Craig Cutler
Let him walk.
Sd_brain
Pretty sure he’s not going anywhere, especially with the marlins horrible jerseys (who would wanna be caught in that).
Krizzeg
I’d wear it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for 25 million a year.
FS54 2
I am not sure if Cardinals offer is the best one or the only one, but Pujols needs to stay there.
RangersFan1990
If I’m Texas, I offer 7/196 and sit on it.