Quote:
Originally Posted by chippewastud79
Again, the Cardinals had the opportunity to step up to the plate, and they balked. They were hoping he would have a down season and bring his price down, he didn't and they wouldn't up their price. 
Two years ago he began asking for the huge long-term deal and they couldn't get it done. He wanted to sign before camp and the Cardinals left the same offer on the table for over a year without changing it. Its almost as if they were expecting him to walk without a fight, and they certainly didn't appear to put one up. 
~$198 million and ~$250-260 is a big difference, and the Cardinals couldn't match it. There is expected to be a loyalty from Pujols to them, but it apparently wasn't recipricated.  |
What he was asking for, and what he just got are to me unreasonable and outrageous for any team to pay out w/ the exception of NY, Boston, and maybe Philly. The Angels are going to really feel the burden of this deal about five years down the road, just like the Reds did with Griffey in his last few years. STL put their maximum dollar that they would be willing to pay, which was going to hurt them down the road if he accepted it just b/c they wanted to keep the fans happy. If the going rate was a billion dollars for Pujols and the Cardinals couldn't match that, would that still make them not loyal to him? $200 million for 9 or 10 years is beyond reasonable and is more than fair to him. He kept telling the fans that he wanted to remain in STL, but this was obviously not the case. If you sign a contract for ten years, then you sign for less money per year.
I've always supported and stood behind the MLB, even during the strike in '94, but the money deal is seriously starting to turn me off to the sport.