Cardinal fans sore over losing Pujols? Don’t, he is paid what the market bears
Albert Pujols shocked the baseball world by signing a 10-year, $250 M contract with the Anaheim Angels on Thursday.
The signing sent shock waves through baseball. Cardinal fans branded Pujols as a trader.
"Pujols turns his back on Cardinals" read the headline on the online St. Louis Post Dispatch.
The Cardinals reportedly offered Pujols nine years and a little more than $200 million.
One report said that Pujols wanted a percentage of the Cardinals' profit. Never been done before in baseball to my knowledge, but if anyone was worth it, Pujols was.
It would be a precident. So is the baseball luxary tax.
You gotta pay, if you want to play.
After hitting .329 in 2001 as a rookie, and .314 in 2002, Pujols hit no lower than .327 from 2003-2009. He had more than 100 RBI from 2001 to 2010 and 30 to 40 home runs in the same period. In 2011, Pujols batted .299, with 37 home runs and 99 RBI.
Who hits for average and power?
No one. Except Pujols.
In comparison, Prince Fielder hit 32-50 home runs from 2006-11, and in three out of four years hit more than 100 RBI.
Ryan Howard? Howard hit 100 RBI from 2006-2011 and 31-55 home runs from 2006-2011.
Fielder’s top average was in 2011 at .299, while Howard, in his MVP season of 2006, hit .313 with 58 home runs and 149 RBI.
Neither has come close, year after year, to Pujols' average.
While the Phillies locked up Howard after an arbitration year of $11 million in 2009, he signed a $125, six-year deal before the 2010 season.
While the Phillies locked up their slugger through 2016, the Cardinals’ inaction saw Pujols walk.
The same will happen with Fielder.
The Cardinals and Brewers were penny wise, pound foolish.
Sign a player at the height of his career at today’s dollar, rather than see the money and years increase later when the players is older.
On average, Pujols will make $5 million a year more than Howard.
Even at 32 years old, was it worth losing Pujols?
The years are excessive, but is what the market bears.
So while players like Roy Halladay and Jonathan Papelbon want to come to the Phillies, for their commitment to players, the Cardinals better sign Fielder, so they don’t look foolish.
The Cardinals made Pujols a decent offer to stay a Cardinal for his career, but I believe they lost him when Howard signed his contract.
Same for Fielder.
Who’s laughing now?
How bad is the Ryan Howard deal, now, haters?
