[HiAngle]

Well the Cardinal fans have to be pissed. The Angels are about to sign Pujols. The buzz is he's getting 10 yrs/$250 million.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/7330066/sources-albert-pujols-cj-wilson-agreed-angels

 

[Lefty]

Most Cardinal fans will remain Cardinal fans without Pujols. The Cards now have the opportunity to acquire 2 or 3 excellent players for the price of 1 aging superstar. The Cards won before El Hombre and will win after him.

My take is that the Cards got 11 prime years for $118 mil and the Angels get 10 declining years for $250 mil. There is a reason the Cards are consistent winners in a small market.

Go Cards!

 

[SoonerSoftail]

Most Cardinal fans will remain Cardinal fans without Pujols. The Cards now have the opportunity to acquire 2 or 3 excellent players for the price of 1 aging superstar. The Cards won before El Hombre and will win after him.

My take is that the Cards got 11 prime years for $118 mil and the Angels get 10 declining years for $250 mil. There is a reason the Cards are consistent winners in a small market.

Go Cards!

I agree. The Cards will be fine. And I'll be there for the home opener whoever plays first base.

 

[Lakerat]

I really hate seeing him leave the Cards, but it was probably best for both. St Louis doesn't have to continue paying for an infielder who will get too old to bend over and pick up a grounder before the 10 years are up and the Angels will have a DH who can lounge on the bench til it's time to get up and crush the ball.

 

[Gunny4Sawx]

@gree: I hate long term contracts. Anything over 5 years to me is dangerous ground. The Sawx have done some 6 year deals I've liked but usually it has been an option year at the end. I admire the Cards for not overpaying. That being said, has anyone checked on that fanatical Custom Lowrider rider? He was adamant on how Pooholes would sign with the Cards because he liked StL so much. Might want to see if there are any funny smells eminating from his apartment/ mom's basement

 

[HiAngle]

My take is that the Cards got 11 prime years for $118 mil and the Angels get 10 declining years for $250 mil. There is a reason the Cards are consistent winners in a small market.

Go Cards!

Well the Angels probably got 5 years of a declining player. The stats are pretty clear that once a player reaches 37, they decline. There are a few exceptions to that but those players that continue to produce have been clouded with steroid allegations---- a la Barry Bonds. The benefit the Angels is have is the DH position. But 25 million/yr for a guy to get 3-4 plate appearances a game is pretty expensive. In the end, the Angels are going to make their money back with attendance and merchanidise revenue. However, they have limited themselves with payroll flexibility in the future.

Like Gunny said, a 10-year contract is pretty risky. Like him, I think 5 years with club options are probably the best contracts for teams.

 

[LowRiderCustom]

After a 5-1 start it's obvious the Cards will be fine without Pujols, which I knew would be the case since they have such great hitters. His replacement Carlos Beltran is hitting .320 with 3 home runs after 6 games, and the once mighty one is hitting .214 with no home runs and 1 RBI after 4 games. I'm sure Pujols will get out of this slump, but it's obvious he's not worth $250 million and that's why the Cardinals let him walk.

David Freese is still on fire after his 2 time MVP performance in the playoffs last year. In his last 100 at bats he's hitting .468 and in the first 6 games this year he's hitting .444 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI's. He's not the only one hitting well for the Cards, as a team they are batting .317 against the Marlins/Brewers/Reds, so it looks like they are on their way to another world championship.

Furcal .435
Berkman .375
Molina .350
Jay .300