Distraction? Now That’s A Distraction.
Posted on February 9th, 2011 by Jeff in Cardinals, tags: Albert PujolsThis is obviously not super relevant to the minor leagues of the St. Louis Cardinals which is Future Redbirds bread and butter, but we are all Cardinal fans here and I’ll be damned if I’m not getting this off my chest in the form of a blog post. We’ve previously covered how the farm system can attempt to replace Albert Pujols from two different angles here and here.
Let’s take a look at what a real distraction would be…
Pujols has repeatedly said that he does not want negotiations during the season or even Spring Training because they would be a “distraction”. Now, far be it for me to tell Mr. Pujols how to run his season and pre-season when he has consistently put up Hall of Fame numbers every season… but I’m going to do exactly that. First and foremost, Spring Training is no NFL Training Camp. There are no “two-a-days”. Pujols brings his children on the field with him. Players sign autographs for hours around the complex. Considering the casual atmosphere during workouts, we would think that Pujols would have the time to meet for a few minutes with his agent to see how the negotiations are going. Once the games start in Florida, Albert does not even play the whole game most of the time and should have the rest of the afternoon and evening off to spend some time thinking about the negotiations. Pujols will not have to be present for the negotiations as the bulk of the work will be done by his agent, Dan Lozano. It is not about the time that Pujols would have to invest in the negotiations, but possibly the time that Pujols does not want to spend thinking about it. Pujols has become the best baseball player of this generation because of his single minded focus on every at bat and every pitch making himself better.
This is obviously Albert’s personal deadline and if he feels like it will be a distraction to him, it probably would be a distraction to him. That being said, would it be more of a distraction if every single series, he was asked by Joe Strauss or the opponent’s media group about where he thinks he will sign in the offseason? If he does not sign a deal before officially reporting to Spring Training, he will have to endure a season of Lebron James level discussion and questions swirling around him about what he will do in the offseason. ESPN will send Rachel Nichols to follow the Cardinals around for the season and stand on Pujols’s lawn in St. Louis trying to figure out what his intentions will be in the offseason. Every single Cardinal player will be asked in every interview with any national outlet about what they think about Pujols’s offseason plans.
Is Pujols not aware of the potential 24/7 sports media firestorm that will burst forth from every angle if he decides to cut off negotiations? The distraction of negotiations will pale in comparison to the potential free agent distraction that will take over the Cardinals entire season.
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As I am sure you are aware, this has nothing to do with “distractions” and everything to do with leverage.
I don’t think Pujols wants to sign with the Cardinals and I don’t think the Cardinals want to pay him. Both sides are just doing their best to minimize the damage to their respective reputations. Pujols wants to paint the ownership as being cheap without actually saying it, and the ownership wants to paint Pujols as being greedy without actually saying it.
Great points. I have to think the two sides know each other’s numbers by now. If they’re close, they compromise. If they aren’t close, they jockey for damage control.
Considering how Mo caved to Holliday and gave him a humongous contract and length (pre Werth obviously), I can’t imagine the Cards NOT bridging the gap and getting the job done whether it is this week or after the season.
The question is if we will even have a chance after the season. He may feel smitted after 2 off seasons of not getting a long term deal put together. I think he’s expressed frustration and not really even being engaged last winter to resign. Could have have been some of the crankiness he exhibited this year?
Jeff, I get the impression Pujols is aware of everything you just mentioned.
He either likes the drama and attention, or his plan all along has been to reach free agency in November and force the Cards to compete for his services.
I hope I’m wrong, but I think he’s trying to pull a LeBron without the vilification that comes from ditching your original team and breaking the fans’ hearts. So he sets up artificial deadlines as a way to establish himself as a man of integrity.
If he wanted to sign with the Cards, wouldn’t he have done that already? I mean, how long did Roy Halladay’s negotiations with the Phillies take?
I agree and that’s why I think a lot of Cards fans are nervous.
But if Pujols adheres to these very small negotiation windows every year, there’s no chance for the Cardinals to even approach him during the season.
Do we know if the Cardinals are even legitimately at the table yet? We do have a story that mentions he is upset because the Cardinals haen’t made and offer yet which in effect means that he couldn’t sign if he wanted to. I know the plan is to wait till the deadline approaches then make there offer hoping he signs but as of a few days ago it seemed the Cardinals haven’t showed there hand yet.
I think nobody outside those in the actual negotiations knows anything. It is all speculation from here on out.
I think Lou is right on… if Albert wanted to sign, like Halladay, it would have been over with already.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS and Albert’s actions are consistent with someone who wants to go to free agency in the offseason and get what has been described as a “Mount Everest” contract. There have been some talk about 30 Mil
for 10 years… but Albert is fixated on beating A-Rod’s contract… and probably wants “franchise face” money as one agent
remarked, which is $36 Million a year.
Pujols doesn’t want to play in St. Louis and is all about the money… For the type of money he is seeking, with the Players
Union Management egging him on, only the Yankees or the Red Sox can afford him.
Speaking of the Red Sox, it is interesting to me that they have not signed Adrian Gonzalez yet to a long term contract.
WHY ?
Are they waiting to get in on the Pujols bidding ? A right-handed bat like Albert’s probably would be worth 30-35 million
cracking 70-75 doubles off the Green Monster every summer.
Yeah… that would bring the whole city of Boston to the park !
The Red Sox most likely haven’t signed Gonzalez yet because if they sign him to an extension before opening day his contract value gets combined with his current contract and averaged and that would put them in luxury tax territory this year. Expect a deal to be announced in May.
I bet that they put Gonzalez on hold if Pujols hits the market. Not sure who will match Boston’s projected bid for Gonzalez so he’s pretty much safely there until something happens with Pujols.
I’ll take that bet. They already have a deal and everyone knows it. They’d lose big time face if they backed out.
Plus they didnt trade their “untouchable” top prospect for a 1 yr rental of Gonzalez.
Plus, a guaranteed Gonzalez is better than a chance of getting Pujols.
A Gonzalez in the hand is worth a Pujols in the bush?
I’m not sure why that sounded so dirty.
as long as we’re reading the tea leaves
my guess is that apu negotiations went nowhere last year because he said ” if we talk now, it’s got to be a 10 yr deal”, and bdw said no
now this year, as the deadline looms, apu’s stance is the same. he had another great year, so they have not backed off the 10 yr deal. and clearly have not found a happy median
i suspect this won’t get done because the real exclusive negotiating window is next fall
and it won’t get done then if apu has another big year
facts is facts
apu’s best year are behind him to a large degree and the cards should not sign him to 25+ 7 yr+ contract. it is really economics
I have to kind of disagree with the general consensus here and take Albert at his word that “distraction” really is the issue. I think we’d probably agree that Albert’s concentration on the game is a big part of his superior performance and he has been consistent in compartmentalizing contract and money talks. He may, indeed, be annoyed by the team’s lack luster efforts to dicker in the off seasons and may be motivated to perform well to get the best offer possible from any team. Money may be a big part of the motivation but I think he’s probably sincere about wanting to avoid distraction that can affect his performance.
In fact I can relate to that. Issues regarding contract negotiations and money have always distracted me from my appreciation of the game and are, at best, hot stove league topics to consider in the absence of real baseball. Once the game is actually being played I don’t want to hear about it. Were I in Albert’s position I’d take the same tack he has.
I agree. This isn’t the first year when AP has expressed an unwillingness to talk contracts during spring training. He’s been consistent about it, and I think we owe it to the man to take him at his word; his word seems a lot better than most people’s.
I’d like to see him extended, of course, but let’s let the system work. If he isn’t extended, it isn’t the end of the world; I will remain a fan of both the Cardinals and Albert Pujols.
Strauss stated that in his chat today that the numberpeople are talking about 10 yearse 300 mil is what Loranzo floated last year but there is no proof or indication that it is the same amount acted for thsi year. Are the two sides likely to agree if its a 8 year deal with the first year of the deal starting this year.
It’s an interesting thought, Andrew, but I don’t see how could they go to $30 million this year, unless the additional $14 million is deferred. They’re already over $100 million in payroll for ’11, a bump of ~$10 million w. no guaranteed additional revenue that I’m aware of. (Unless MLB Properties is projecting that level of growth, or plans to distribute more of its existing revenue to the teams.)
I think it is equally likely that Cards are miffed with AP as much or more than he is with them. I wont be surprised if after their exclusive negotiating phase is over (5 days after the end of the world series) if there is no deal that they will announce they are moving on.
I’d be a bit surprised if they bowed out of FA negotiations at the outset, for the PR aspect of it. They can simply stay in the game at the level they already plan to offer and see what happens. It’s a bit more palatable, I’d think, from the public acceptance view, to let Albert choose another higher offer than to have (even knowing full well the offer won’t be accepted) sworn off publicly.
On one hand I can see cario’s point, on the other hand it would be a pr nightmare of epic proportions to basically announce they’re turning the page on the Pujols era. My guess is the deadline will come and go without a deal, and the Cards will make a public pronouncement saying they have every intention of trying to sigh Albert, but it’s up to him and his handlers to get back to the table. Once Holliday hit the open market I think we all thought he was gone, but the suitors just weren’t there and St. L just made too much sense for him. Pujols won’t lack for suitors, but the Cardinals marriage has just worked too well, and ultimately I think he remains a Cardinal.