ALBERT PUJOLS' SALARY

Albert Pujols' Salary

Albert Pujols' Salary Was A Bargain

Albert Pujols' 2006 salary was a bargain for St. Louis Cardinals. Albert is one of those unique players who means a lot more to a franchise than simply his statistics.  He has been, and will be, the face of the St. Louis Cardinals for an entire generation of Cardinal fans.  So, that being said, I believe the Cardinals' front office has to do everything they can to ensure that Pujols is a Cardinal for his entire career.

First off, I'm assuming the Cardinals have every intention of exercising the 2011 club option.  So if I were John Mozeliak, I would seek authority from ownership to approach Albert after the 2009 season (or early in the 2010 season) regarding a contract extension. I would not wait until Albert reaches the final year of his deal.  I think approaching Albert early accomplishes two things:  (1) shows loyalty to the player on the part of ownership, and (2) allows the team to budget for its future (i.e., “cost certainty”).  I think, as part of that negotiation, the team should expect to perhaps offer a “raise” for the final two years of Albert's current deal (even if the money is deferred).

In terms of dollars offered for Albert's next contract, I think you'd have to use A-Rod as a guidepost.  It's a crapload of money to be sure, but Albert will be in his early 30s when his current contract expires.  I'd expect he'd want at least a 7-8 year deal (maybe $150-$165M)?  One would hope he'd be willing to offer somce concessions to the Redbirds in order to allow them to remain competitive (e.g., backloading of the contract, deferring money over a 20-year period, etc.).

An examination of good bargains and bad investments in baseball always reminds us of the economic system that keeps salaries low for the first 3-5 seasons of a player's career. So, naturally, most of the bargains are players in their first three years in the majors, and making less than $1,000,000.

In fantasy leagues, everyone loves to talk about bargains and boondoggles, the guys you overbid for, and the guys who give you quality production for a song. With real-world baseball right around the corner and just about everybody under contract, it's also time to take stock of those players in the 2009 season who will be giving their teams full bang for ...