Wow. Cody Ross better be thanking the Phils - he's getting 6.3 mil this season. That gonna be a big chunk of their change.
Still for the Giants? Wow, it's a miracle that franchise won a championship. :roll:
Not really that big of a miracle! Their pitching was the best in the majors during the playoffs hands down. It's looking like this next season is going to be the year of pitching again unless you live in Boston.
Not really that big of a miracle! Their pitching was the best in the majors during the playoffs hands down. It's looking like this next season is going to be the year of pitching again unless you live in Boston.
True. I was referring to the $200M given to Zito & Rowand, neither of whom conributed to the title at all.
Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; WF Center 10/21/13; WF Center 10/22/13; Baltimore 10/27/13; WF Center 4/28/16; WF Center 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22; Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; WF Center 9/7/24; WF Center 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
Not really that big of a miracle! Their pitching was the best in the majors during the playoffs hands down. It's looking like this next season is going to be the year of pitching again unless you live in Boston.
True. I was referring to the $200M given to Zito & Rowand, neither of whom conributed to the title at all.
Agreed on Zito, but Rowand did have the greatest out in Giants history throwing out Ruiz at the plate!
What a god awful trade for the angel. What could they possibly be thinking?!
No idea from a financial standpoint, but my guess is that for as much as they love Peter Bourjos' defensive range and he's a one, they are not confident in his bat (.218 batting average).
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
That can't bet serious. Man, what a horrible offseason for the angels.
And the rays landed manny AND Damon for under $8 mil combined. With the money the jays saved on this and the rays the al east is going to be brutal for years.
of course not, but his .273, 31 and 88 will be good for the Angels' lineup, especially if there are injuries. Did you see Ramirez signed with the Rays?
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
I too an interesting to see how much the Jays are eating of Wells contact
if its low, or unbelievably so, nothing, than AA pulled off an amazing trade
this dude is smart, the moves he has made already are better than JPJ would of done
Wells was never going to be as good as a $20 million a year player, not even the year that got him that contact was worth a $20 million a year contact
1998 ~ Barrie
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
he's also deteriorating defensively, so expect him in RF to 2 years
but getting off the turf will help prolong his health too
1998 ~ Barrie
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
I think this is possibly the worst trade I have seen. I am speechless.
Worse than Ernie Broglio for Lou Brock?
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
Well considering i wasn't alive for that, yes, this is the worst trade I have seen happen. The jays are paying nothing. Vernon wells is the second highest paid player in baseball next season and there are at least 50 position players I would take over him anyday, probably more
Well considering i wasn't alive for that, yes, this is the worst trade I have seen happen. The jays are paying nothing. Vernon wells is the second highest paid player in baseball next season and there are at least 50 position players I would take over him anyday, probably more
I saw this yesterday. I just started laughing. What a bad trade on Anaheim's part.
Well considering i wasn't alive for that, yes, this is the worst trade I have seen happen. The jays are paying nothing. Vernon wells is the second highest paid player in baseball next season and there are at least 50 position players I would take over him anyday, probably more
I saw this yesterday. I just started laughing. What a bad trade on Anaheim's part.
It's hilarious how desperate they got this offseason. The Kazmir and Wells trades are going to turn them into the Mets.
I think this is possibly the worst trade I have seen. I am speechless.
haha, I agree. horrendous
watch out for the jays in a year or two. Love what they have done with their roster
Awful. While the Angels are in the mood of taking bad contracts the Yanks should call and offer Arod for Weaver and Haren.
Yeah man. They are going to be unreal. Solid farm and I believe only $17 million committed to next year, before Bautista. That's unreal. The AL East is not going to be fun for a long time.
I think this is possibly the worst trade I have seen. I am speechless.
haha, I agree. horrendous
watch out for the jays in a year or two. Love what they have done with their roster
Awful. While the Angels are in the mood of taking bad contracts the Yanks should call and offer Arod for Weaver and Haren.
Yeah man. They are going to be unreal. Solid farm and I believe only $17 million committed to next year, before Bautista. That's unreal. The AL East is not going to be fun for a long time.
I could think of a horrible contract that I would love to see the phils get rid of. but everyone here knows about that already
I could think of a horrible contract that I would love to see the phils get rid of. but everyone here knows about that already
would you really make that trade for ARod?
I don't know, probably not. That contract just scares the hell out of me. 2017 is a long ways away. Love having him in the Yankees lineup, hate the contract..
Wow - I had no idea of the Wells trade until now. Angels are going to fire (or maybe hell).
Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; WF Center 10/21/13; WF Center 10/22/13; Baltimore 10/27/13; WF Center 4/28/16; WF Center 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22; Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; WF Center 9/7/24; WF Center 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
"FF, I've heard the droning about the Sawx being the baby dolls. Yeah, I get it, you guys invented baseball and suffered forever. I get it." -JearlPam0925
As quickly as he was there, he's gone - now Napoli gets traded from TO to Texas for Francisco. Still not a bad play by TO, and works out for Texas.
I know I read even though Napoli was traded from LAA to TO, TO had to take LAA's arb hearing with Napoli to court. I'm guessing they didn't like the number that he was most likely to get.
As quickly as he was there, he's gone - now Napoli gets traded from TO to Texas for Francisco. Still not a bad play by TO, and works out for Texas.
I know I read even though Napoli was traded from LAA to TO, TO had to take LAA's arb hearing with Napoli to court. I'm guessing they didn't like the number that he was most likely to get.
There really wasn't any room for him. The team already has two catchers and two first basemen.
Ya know, I think it's pretty gay the way Mike Young's been jerked around. I'm glad he's pissed and wants to bounce. Always been a solid player. Texas handled their entire offseason awfully - even though they brought in Beltre.
By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports 3 hours, 21 minutes ago
What price Albert Pujols?
From the executive offices at on Clark Street in St. Louis to the bar at Mike Shannon’s place, from the Marina Del Rey, Calif., digs of player agent Dan Lozano to the shaven head of Pujols himself, the question hangs like a curveball thrown the first day of spring.
Perhaps nine months from free agency and at 31 years old the foremost offensive player in the game (and two-time Gold Glove winner), Pujols on Feb. 16 will walk into the clubhouse at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.
By then, he will have come to contract terms that will make him a St. Louis Cardinal for life. Or, and this is where things could get aggravating on the tall stools at Shannon’s, he will have begun a season-long stroll toward a distinctive and hallowed place on the open market.
All indications suggest that Pujols and the team that drafted him a dozen years ago are not close to an agreement, and that eight days won’t be time enough to negotiate and consummate not only the richest contract in club history, but possibly the richest in the history of the game. As of the weekend, the Cardinals hadn’t made a concrete offer.
Pujols is thought to be seeking something in the range of Alex Rodriguez’s(notes) contract with the New York Yankees: a 10-year deal that pays $275 million at its base, $305 million including home run milestone bonuses, and $315 million including another $10 million paid by the Texas Rangers for opting out of his previous contract.
A Pujols-imposed gag order has endeavored to keep negotiations, opinions and hysterical outbursts private. Cardinals chairman and general partner Bill DeWitt Jr. broke free long enough, however, to assert that the flush Yankees already regret the A-Rod contract, the logical leap being the mid-market Cardinals were unable – and likely unwilling – to match it for Pujols.
Otherwise, DeWitt has maintained a “hopeful” stance during negotiations that have been sometimes on and mostly off since the sides first met on the subject last spring and generally have failed to gain traction. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak has commented little or none at all. Lozano, who recently left Beverly Hills Sports Council to form his own agency, also has declined comment.
Asked for an update last month by St. Louis writers, a somewhat prickly Pujols said, “My agent is talking with Bill and Mo and let’s leave it up to that. We’ll tell you guys. Whenever a deal gets done, I think everybody’s going to know about it. And that’s it.”
Of course, that’s not it.
The 402nd player selected in the 1999 draft (one spot behind Alfredo Amezaga(notes)), Pujols, a third baseman from Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, needed only two years to charm the citizens of St. Louis, baseball’s version of Whoville. Raised in red, Pujols was Rookie of the Year in 2001, was never out of the top four in National League MVP balloting in his first six years (winning the first of three MVPs in 2005), helped drive the franchise to a World Series title in 2006, then was awarded MVPs Nos. 2 and 3 in 2008 and 2009. By the middle of the decade, a time of decline for Barry Bonds, Pujols became the unquestioned best player in the game. The distinction allowed the phasing out of Mark McGwire to go largely unheeded at the gate, where the Cardinals routinely finished in the NL’s top three in attendance and all but once in the past decade drew fewer than three million fans.
Dewitt, who in 1995 bought the club from the Busch family for $150 million, privately financed and opened a new stadium in 2006 – Busch Stadium, the house that Mac built and Albert paid for. Two years earlier, Pujols signed a contract extension for a guaranteed $100 million over seven seasons that, with the 2011 option, would be worth $111 million over eight years.
Which brings Pujols, DeWitt, the city of St. Louis and baseball to today, barely a week until the deadline established by the Pujols camp to come to terms on an extension, set to minimize the billowing distraction Pujols believes would come from in-season negotiations.
And which brings us to the meeting of elite player and middle market when it comes time to ponying up for services, both rendered and future. At a time when baseball boasts net revenues of approximately $7.1 billion, in an offseason when one-time All Star Jayson Werth(notes) pulled in $126 million and two franchises – the signature Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets – are in financial distress, and in a city where the player is not just appreciated but revered, we ask again, What price Albert Pujols?
“I’ve got $36 million a year,” one prominent agent said. “Now, it’s brand related. Pujols is a brand.”
Over eight years, bringing Pujols to within months of his 40th birthday, that would come to $288 million.
In calculations using metrics of player comparison, estimated production and age curves, hardballtimes.com valued Pujols as high as $275 million over 10 years (almost exactly A-Rod money), fangraphs.com put his value at $267 million over 10 years, and sabernomics.com – factoring in the normal increases in player salaries and league revenues – came in at $350 million over eight years.
Businessinsider.com, which determined Pujols – given his production – was underpaid by as much as $130 million over the life of his current contract, said Pujols’ next eight seasons would be worth as much as $240 million.
Given how negotiations have lagged, the Cardinals would seem to be hesitant to go that high in average annual value, term, or both. And had they a notion to trade Pujols if they fell out of contention this summer, Pujols has notified them he would exercise his full no-trade rights, earned by playing 10 years in the league, the last five with the same team.
The Cardinals seem to be counting on Pujols doing almost anything to stay in St. Louis. Pujols does indeed love it there. The fans, the city, the organization, manager Tony La Russa have been good to him. But, unless he wakes up one morning in the mood to grant a discount to DeWitt, Pujols seems more of the mind to make his money. The discount, after all, was in the past 10 years. At the end of those, the organization needs Pujols more than Pujols needs the organization.
The next 10 are likely to come at full price. Despite the looks of things with Dodgers’ and Mets’ owners, the game has perhaps never been healthier, and by almost any standard. The Cardinals, for one, have thrived under the ownership of DeWitt, a Harvard and Yale graduate many believe is among the smartest men in the game. If there is a way to afford Pujols – and the organization would seem to be able to sustain a payroll well above its current $100 million, thereby maintaining a quality team around Pujols – then DeWitt will find it.
If not, suitors abound. For the player without comparables, and whose price in a bidding climate almost certainly could reach $300 million, the market will be as expansive as it will be fluid. Pujols – and the chance to rebrand an organization – comes around once in a generation.
The possibilities include:
• Chicago Cubs. The opportunity to steal the rival Cardinals’ best player and make themselves relevant again might be too good to pass up for the Cubs. First baseman Carlos Pena is under contract for one year.
• New York Yankees. Yes, they have Mark Teixeira(notes) at first. It’s a DH league for just that reason.
• Boston Red Sox. Yes, Adrian Gonzalez(notes). Yes, DH league.
• Texas Rangers. The new ownership group is willing to spend, and spend big. The club is committed to Mitch Moreland(notes) at first (so much so they alienated Michael Young(notes) for him), but this is Pujols. The dicey part: Young and Pujols share an agent (Lozano).
• Washington Nationals. The plucky Nats have gone after nearly every high profile free agent of the past couple years. No reason to stop there.
• Baltimore Orioles. Like the Nats, they’re trying to assemble a watchable team. And they need a new Ripken.
• Los Angeles Angels. Their spending habits have been tough to follow this winter, but they do have the money and know the value of a franchise brand (Vladimir Guerrero(notes)).
• New York Mets. To whom would you rather give $300 mil? Pujols or Irving Picard? If the Wilpons find their sugar daddy, and because of their expiring contracts, Pujols should be a possibility.
• Los Angeles Dodgers. Frank McCourt, too, needs a silent partner. More silent than Jamie.
• Toronto Blue Jays. The heft of the continent’s seventh-largest market and Rogers Communications puts the Jays in play.
• San Francisco Giants. Sure, the Barry Zito(notes) thing didn’t work out. But this is their shot at the second coming of Bonds.
In St. Louis, the countdown has started. Only, is it a countdown to mid-February? To mid-November? If, in June, DeWitt came to Pujols with something like an A-Rod contract, would that count as a negotiation? As a distraction?
After a season in which Cardinals fans will slather him in love and song, can Pujols walk away?
The Cardinals fit Pujols like they once did Stan Musial, like they did Ozzie Smith, and those are significant comparisons for him. He will be guided by his faith, and by his wife, and by his conscience.
At a recent baseball clinic in Independence, Mo., a fan gave Pujols a hockey puck. On it, the fan had written: “To Albert, Please Stay in St. Louis.”
Pujols kept the puck.
There will be more gestures like it this summer, during which he will consider staying, and consider leaving, and to the latter almost surely wonder, “What cost, Albert Pujols?”
“No matter what happens,” La Russa told writers in St. Louis, “Albert will be Albert. And thank goodness for that.”
Pujols for Ike Davis, tell the Mets to get it done...
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
Comments
Not really that big of a miracle! Their pitching was the best in the majors during the playoffs hands down. It's looking like this next season is going to be the year of pitching again unless you live in Boston.
True. I was referring to the $200M given to Zito & Rowand, neither of whom conributed to the title at all.
WF Center 4/28/16; WF Center 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22;
Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; WF Center 9/7/24; WF Center 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
Agreed on Zito, but Rowand did have the greatest out in Giants history throwing out Ruiz at the plate!
No idea from a financial standpoint, but my guess is that for as much as they love Peter Bourjos' defensive range and he's a one, they are not confident in his bat (.218 batting average).
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
And the rays landed manny AND Damon for under $8 mil combined. With the money the jays saved on this and the rays the al east is going to be brutal for years.
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
if its low, or unbelievably so, nothing, than AA pulled off an amazing trade
this dude is smart, the moves he has made already are better than JPJ would of done
Wells was never going to be as good as a $20 million a year player, not even the year that got him that contact was worth a $20 million a year contact
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
but getting off the turf will help prolong his health too
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
Worse than Ernie Broglio for Lou Brock?
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
I saw this yesterday. I just started laughing. What a bad trade on Anaheim's part.
It's hilarious how desperate they got this offseason. The Kazmir and Wells trades are going to turn them into the Mets.
haha, I agree. horrendous
watch out for the jays in a year or two. Love what they have done with their roster
Awful. While the Angels are in the mood of taking bad contracts the Yanks should call and offer Arod for Weaver and Haren.
Yeah man. They are going to be unreal. Solid farm and I believe only $17 million committed to next year, before Bautista. That's unreal. The AL East is not going to be fun for a long time.
I could think of a horrible contract that I would love to see the phils get rid of. but everyone here knows about that already
would you really make that trade for ARod?
I don't know, probably not. That contract just scares the hell out of me. 2017 is a long ways away. Love having him in the Yankees lineup, hate the contract..
WF Center 4/28/16; WF Center 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22;
Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; WF Center 9/7/24; WF Center 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
I know I read even though Napoli was traded from LAA to TO, TO had to take LAA's arb hearing with Napoli to court. I'm guessing they didn't like the number that he was most likely to get.
1 - KC
2 - TB
3 - Atl
4 - Tor
5 - Philly
Nice to see the phils still ranked so high after making so many big trades over the last 3 years.
By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports 3 hours, 21 minutes ago
What price Albert Pujols?
From the executive offices at on Clark Street in St. Louis to the bar at Mike Shannon’s place, from the Marina Del Rey, Calif., digs of player agent Dan Lozano to the shaven head of Pujols himself, the question hangs like a curveball thrown the first day of spring.
Perhaps nine months from free agency and at 31 years old the foremost offensive player in the game (and two-time Gold Glove winner), Pujols on Feb. 16 will walk into the clubhouse at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.
By then, he will have come to contract terms that will make him a St. Louis Cardinal for life. Or, and this is where things could get aggravating on the tall stools at Shannon’s, he will have begun a season-long stroll toward a distinctive and hallowed place on the open market.
All indications suggest that Pujols and the team that drafted him a dozen years ago are not close to an agreement, and that eight days won’t be time enough to negotiate and consummate not only the richest contract in club history, but possibly the richest in the history of the game. As of the weekend, the Cardinals hadn’t made a concrete offer.
Pujols is thought to be seeking something in the range of Alex Rodriguez’s(notes) contract with the New York Yankees: a 10-year deal that pays $275 million at its base, $305 million including home run milestone bonuses, and $315 million including another $10 million paid by the Texas Rangers for opting out of his previous contract.
A Pujols-imposed gag order has endeavored to keep negotiations, opinions and hysterical outbursts private. Cardinals chairman and general partner Bill DeWitt Jr. broke free long enough, however, to assert that the flush Yankees already regret the A-Rod contract, the logical leap being the mid-market Cardinals were unable – and likely unwilling – to match it for Pujols.
Otherwise, DeWitt has maintained a “hopeful” stance during negotiations that have been sometimes on and mostly off since the sides first met on the subject last spring and generally have failed to gain traction. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak has commented little or none at all. Lozano, who recently left Beverly Hills Sports Council to form his own agency, also has declined comment.
Asked for an update last month by St. Louis writers, a somewhat prickly Pujols said, “My agent is talking with Bill and Mo and let’s leave it up to that. We’ll tell you guys. Whenever a deal gets done, I think everybody’s going to know about it. And that’s it.”
Of course, that’s not it.
The 402nd player selected in the 1999 draft (one spot behind Alfredo Amezaga(notes)), Pujols, a third baseman from Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, needed only two years to charm the citizens of St. Louis, baseball’s version of Whoville. Raised in red, Pujols was Rookie of the Year in 2001, was never out of the top four in National League MVP balloting in his first six years (winning the first of three MVPs in 2005), helped drive the franchise to a World Series title in 2006, then was awarded MVPs Nos. 2 and 3 in 2008 and 2009. By the middle of the decade, a time of decline for Barry Bonds, Pujols became the unquestioned best player in the game. The distinction allowed the phasing out of Mark McGwire to go largely unheeded at the gate, where the Cardinals routinely finished in the NL’s top three in attendance and all but once in the past decade drew fewer than three million fans.
Dewitt, who in 1995 bought the club from the Busch family for $150 million, privately financed and opened a new stadium in 2006 – Busch Stadium, the house that Mac built and Albert paid for. Two years earlier, Pujols signed a contract extension for a guaranteed $100 million over seven seasons that, with the 2011 option, would be worth $111 million over eight years.
Which brings Pujols, DeWitt, the city of St. Louis and baseball to today, barely a week until the deadline established by the Pujols camp to come to terms on an extension, set to minimize the billowing distraction Pujols believes would come from in-season negotiations.
And which brings us to the meeting of elite player and middle market when it comes time to ponying up for services, both rendered and future. At a time when baseball boasts net revenues of approximately $7.1 billion, in an offseason when one-time All Star Jayson Werth(notes) pulled in $126 million and two franchises – the signature Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets – are in financial distress, and in a city where the player is not just appreciated but revered, we ask again, What price Albert Pujols?
“I’ve got $36 million a year,” one prominent agent said. “Now, it’s brand related. Pujols is a brand.”
Over eight years, bringing Pujols to within months of his 40th birthday, that would come to $288 million.
In calculations using metrics of player comparison, estimated production and age curves, hardballtimes.com valued Pujols as high as $275 million over 10 years (almost exactly A-Rod money), fangraphs.com put his value at $267 million over 10 years, and sabernomics.com – factoring in the normal increases in player salaries and league revenues – came in at $350 million over eight years.
Businessinsider.com, which determined Pujols – given his production – was underpaid by as much as $130 million over the life of his current contract, said Pujols’ next eight seasons would be worth as much as $240 million.
Given how negotiations have lagged, the Cardinals would seem to be hesitant to go that high in average annual value, term, or both. And had they a notion to trade Pujols if they fell out of contention this summer, Pujols has notified them he would exercise his full no-trade rights, earned by playing 10 years in the league, the last five with the same team.
The Cardinals seem to be counting on Pujols doing almost anything to stay in St. Louis. Pujols does indeed love it there. The fans, the city, the organization, manager Tony La Russa have been good to him. But, unless he wakes up one morning in the mood to grant a discount to DeWitt, Pujols seems more of the mind to make his money. The discount, after all, was in the past 10 years. At the end of those, the organization needs Pujols more than Pujols needs the organization.
The next 10 are likely to come at full price. Despite the looks of things with Dodgers’ and Mets’ owners, the game has perhaps never been healthier, and by almost any standard. The Cardinals, for one, have thrived under the ownership of DeWitt, a Harvard and Yale graduate many believe is among the smartest men in the game. If there is a way to afford Pujols – and the organization would seem to be able to sustain a payroll well above its current $100 million, thereby maintaining a quality team around Pujols – then DeWitt will find it.
If not, suitors abound. For the player without comparables, and whose price in a bidding climate almost certainly could reach $300 million, the market will be as expansive as it will be fluid. Pujols – and the chance to rebrand an organization – comes around once in a generation.
The possibilities include:
• Chicago Cubs. The opportunity to steal the rival Cardinals’ best player and make themselves relevant again might be too good to pass up for the Cubs. First baseman Carlos Pena is under contract for one year.
• New York Yankees. Yes, they have Mark Teixeira(notes) at first. It’s a DH league for just that reason.
• Boston Red Sox. Yes, Adrian Gonzalez(notes). Yes, DH league.
• Texas Rangers. The new ownership group is willing to spend, and spend big. The club is committed to Mitch Moreland(notes) at first (so much so they alienated Michael Young(notes) for him), but this is Pujols. The dicey part: Young and Pujols share an agent (Lozano).
• Washington Nationals. The plucky Nats have gone after nearly every high profile free agent of the past couple years. No reason to stop there.
• Baltimore Orioles. Like the Nats, they’re trying to assemble a watchable team. And they need a new Ripken.
• Los Angeles Angels. Their spending habits have been tough to follow this winter, but they do have the money and know the value of a franchise brand (Vladimir Guerrero(notes)).
• New York Mets. To whom would you rather give $300 mil? Pujols or Irving Picard? If the Wilpons find their sugar daddy, and because of their expiring contracts, Pujols should be a possibility.
• Los Angeles Dodgers. Frank McCourt, too, needs a silent partner. More silent than Jamie.
• Toronto Blue Jays. The heft of the continent’s seventh-largest market and Rogers Communications puts the Jays in play.
• San Francisco Giants. Sure, the Barry Zito(notes) thing didn’t work out. But this is their shot at the second coming of Bonds.
In St. Louis, the countdown has started. Only, is it a countdown to mid-February? To mid-November? If, in June, DeWitt came to Pujols with something like an A-Rod contract, would that count as a negotiation? As a distraction?
After a season in which Cardinals fans will slather him in love and song, can Pujols walk away?
The Cardinals fit Pujols like they once did Stan Musial, like they did Ozzie Smith, and those are significant comparisons for him. He will be guided by his faith, and by his wife, and by his conscience.
At a recent baseball clinic in Independence, Mo., a fan gave Pujols a hockey puck. On it, the fan had written: “To Albert, Please Stay in St. Louis.”
Pujols kept the puck.
There will be more gestures like it this summer, during which he will consider staying, and consider leaving, and to the latter almost surely wonder, “What cost, Albert Pujols?”
“No matter what happens,” La Russa told writers in St. Louis, “Albert will be Albert. And thank goodness for that.”
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=t ... lled020811
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