St Louis just lost a legend....

[Proprioceptive]

Pujols has left my beloved Cardinals... and as much as I want to say that I disrespect him for this and that he's making the wrong decision, I can almost understand. I only hope that that extra $40 million the Angels are giving him go to a good cause. It just irks me, though, because the Cardinals organization already does so much for their community, and I'm having a really hard time convincing me that this wasn't just a money grab by Albert. If it was, I'm extremely disappointed as a fan of the Cardinals, baseball, and Albert.

Judging by a lot of the response I'm seeing on Facebook already, St. Louis is going to feel like they're hung over for the next couple days... this is just an historic disappointment for the city's fans...

 

[slayer202]

dude just won you a world series. let the man do what he wants

 

[Anubis]

it has to be about the money, 210 vs 250 really makes no difference its too much fing money either way

 

[rcpratt]

I'm pretty surprised that he would leave. I also think the Angels are seriously going to regret this in about 6 years.

 

[paperfist]

Two legends... Tony LaRussa anyone?

lol $250,000,000.00 for a guy who batted .299 with 37 homers and 99 RBIs in 2011 and is at least 31 years old. Doesn't anyone learn from the past?

Ah well I hate the deal, now our arch nemesis the Angels just got a little tougher

 

[Gibson486]

Dam....

that is a lot of money....

10 years? You think he will still be hitting great when he is 36?

 

[rcpratt]

Two legends... Tony LaRussa anyone?

lol $250,000,000.00 for a guy who batted .299 with 37 homers and 99 RBIs in 2011 and is at least 31 years old. Doesn't anyone learn from the past?

Ah well I hate the deal, now our arch nemesis the Angels just got a little tougher

lol at the guy that just quoted triple crown stats.

I do think he's older than 31 though, personally.

 

[TechBoyJK]

dude just won you a world series. let the man do what he wants

I'd say David Freese won the cards the world series.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Dam....

that is a lot of money....

10 years? You think he will still be hitting great when he is 36?

Well, Bonds seemed to do well in to his 40s, but then again, he was juiced to the max. I don't believe Pujols is and/or ever will be, but time will tell.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Don't worry, the Angels will regret being on the hook for $25M a year when he's 38. And he'll still have three years left at that point.

 

[oddyager]

I'd say David Freese won the cards the world series.

I'd say so, too, but Pujols did get them to the World Series. Without his second half I doubt the Cards would have gone that far.

 

[Proprioceptive]

I'd say David Freese won the cards the world series.

QFT... This.

 

[RavenSEAL]

What a dick

 

[AstroManLuca]

I do think he's older than 31 though, personally.

He turns 32 in January. EDIT: Oh I see, there's a birth certificate controversy.

 

[Perknose]

it has to be about the money, 210 vs 250 really makes no difference its too much fing money either way

I have never been able to get my mind around why, after a certain unimaginably large sum, even more money matters at all.

The man had a permanent baseball home in St. Louis, with a team that has a proud tradition of baseball excellence and some of the best and most supportive fans in the game.

Mike Schmidt took particular pride in being of the very few mega-stars who only played for one franchise in his entire career.

This event makes me sad on several levels.

 

[Farang]

Can't blame the guy. If faced with getting 210 versus 250 (actually I thought it was 195, but regardless), I would think of the impact that would have on my family for generations to come. 40 mil is hard to come by. So it's my reputation amongst sports fans versus 40 million dollars.

 

[Cal166]

It's all about selling tickets, merchandise, etc.

 

[Proprioceptive]

I have never been able to get my mind around why, after a certain unimaginably large sum, even more money matters at all.

The man had a permanent baseball home in St. Louis, with a team that has a proud tradition of baseball excellence and some of the best and most supportive fans in the game.

Mike Schmidt took particular pride in being of the very few mega-stars who only played for one franchise in his entire career.

This event makes me sad on several levels.

I feel the same way about the money... the only way I could see this being okay is if all of that extra money went to charity. Pujols has always been a huge philanthropist, but even if it was going to charity, I'd rather it stay in St. Louis where it has already been. I'm just completely flabbergasted by this move...

 

[kranky]

It's pretty rare for players to not take the highest offer. There is a lot of pressure from the players' union and agents not to leave money on the table. Agents could insist on being paid their cut based on the highest offer available even if it's not the one the player takes.

We know that $210m vs. $250m means nothing to quality of life, financial security, etc. But taking the lower offer is a 20% reduction.

All that said, I'm surprised that Pujols didn't stay with the Cards even for a lesser amount. He was in position to become legendary on the same plane as Musial but when players leave for more money that tends to permanently tarnish their image in their "home city".

 

[rcpratt]

Jesus, they signed Wilson, too.

 

[KGB]

I'm just glad he didn't go to the AL East.

 

[zinfamous]

He turns 32 in January. EDIT: Oh I see, there's a birth certificate controversy.

Pretty much everyone out of DR and central America (especially Cuba) has a Birth Certificate controversy.

Either they enter way too young--I think this was the case with Soriano--or enter older than typical contracts would warrant.

 

[Farang]

I feel the same way about the money... the only way I could see this being okay is if all of that extra money went to charity. Pujols has always been a huge philanthropist, but even if it was going to charity, I'd rather it stay in St. Louis where it has already been. I'm just completely flabbergasted by this move...

I think it is a smart move whether or not he gets more money. Baseball is different than other sports in that fans in the AL don't care about the NL and vice versa (even with interleague play). I'm unfamiliar with the rosters of most NL teams, save for the stars.

Moving to the AL for the second half of his career gives Pujols exposure to a wider audience, strengthening his legacy. It also allows him to play his twilight years at DH, to make a run at the HR record.

That said, it was about the money because he had been in talks with the Marlins as well.

 

[Baked]

For all we know, he can be 36. You know Latinos don't have birth certificates.

Back on topic. Pujols just bought the Angels (his contract is worth more than the most recent purchase price of the team). The team will now be known as Los Angeles Pujols of Anaheim.

 

[Adrenaline]

I have been a Cardinals fan for about 30 years.

The report I read was a little less than 200 for 10 years, which would have made him the 4th highest paid 1B. I am sorry but he is better than that and the Cardinals deserved to lose him. They overpaid Holliday and want to underpay Pujols? They make no sense.

The other batters in that lineup benefitted from him being there. Other people listed are not pitched around, they are pitched to.