Albert Pujols is only 31 years old, yet his numbers over the last three years have dropped so significantly, you’d think that they were backed by a 30-year mortgage. This might help explain why the Cardinals first baseman is looking for a 10-year extension with guaranteed money, and why that team refuses to offer it. If Pujols and the Cardinals can’t come to an agreement by Wednesday (spoiler alert: they won’t), Pujols has promised to shut down negotiations and play out the last year of his eight-year, $111 million contract.
His agent will not talk to the team after Wednesday and he will refuse any and all trade proposals during the season. This is meant to insure that there will be no talk of his impending free agency until the end of the season.
Which means all we will talk about until the end of this season is Albert Pujols’ impending free agency.
That might be exactly what the 10-year veteran is looking to achieve, but even the biggest Cardinals homers will have trouble convincing themselves that Pujols is worth $25 million per season. And really, what’s the difference between a ten-year deal and seven years? And don’t say “three years.” Jerk. Also.
