The St. Louis Cardinals - once considered as strong a contender as any in the N.L. Central - have dropped well behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Too far. They've made up a couple of games lately and their playoff odds aren't completely shot, but it would take a near miracle. Their 2011 season is practically over, and the media has thus turned its attention to the organization's next pressing issue: Albert Pujols' impending free agency.
The Circular Season Of Albert Pujols
For the St. Louis Cardinals, the 2011 season is winding to a close, and Albert Pujols’ year has proven to be little but a scenic loop.
Writes Bob Nightengale:
For the first time in Pujols' storied career, he will be a free agent, eligible to sign with any team in baseball once the final out of the World Series is recorded. It could be the most intriguing free-agent negotiations since Alex Rodriguez signed a 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers in 2000, particularly since Pujols' season has hardly gone as he planned.
Pujols’ looming free agency is, of course, interesting for a number of reasons. But what I find most interesting is the path that Pujols has followed.
It seems like just yesterday that ... actually, no, that isn’t true. It seems like eons ago that Albert Pujols set a contract negotiations deadline in February. Remember that? There was an unofficial countdown clock and everything. The Cardinals had until the date that Pujols reported to spring training to talk contract. After that, it was off the table.
Back then, there was talk that Pujols could receive the biggest contract in baseball history. Nightengale cites two sources in saying that Pujols turned down an offer worth $195 million over nine years. It was a huge deal that the two sides couldn't reach an agreement, and one couldn't help but wonder what Pujols might receive on the open market. Even with the Yankees and Red Sox probably out of the picture, imaginations ran wild.
But then the season started, and for whatever reason, Albert Pujols wasn’t Albert Pujols. He batted .245 in April. Between April 23 and May 23, he didn’t hit a single home run. As late as June 3, he had an OPS in the .700s. Something was off, and Pujols looked to be losing tens of millions of dollars off his future contract.
He would then turn it up, but on June 19, he sustained a fractured wrist in an on-field collision. He was supposed to be out of action for several weeks. Consider the situation at that point:
- Pujols had a batting line of .279/.355/.500,
- Pujols was expected to be out until sometime in August, andwrist injuries have a tendency to sap power, even following recovery.
At that point, the logical assumption was that Pujols would receive a fraction of the contract he would’ve received given a better season. A large fraction, sure, but still a fraction - on Pujols, far less money than expected would be spent.
At that point.
That point has passed. Pujols wasn’t out until August. He came back on July 6. He homered on July 9. Since his return, he’s batted .312 over 250 trips to the plate with a .994 OPS. His contact is there. His power is there. His discipline is there. His health is there.
He’s all there. After inexplicably going missing, Albert Pujols is back, and he’s pushed his overall numbers most of the way to where they usually are. They might get closer between now and the end of the year. And even if his OPS ends up a little low, what’s more important is that he’s buried his slow start. Much like the contract negotiations deadline, that slow start is ancient history.
Which means we’re pretty much back where we started, several months later. The Pujols contract saga has covered a lot of ground, but the displacement has been small. After everything, Pujols is once again looking at one of the biggest contracts in the history of the sport. This is because Pujols is once again looking like perhaps the most flawless hitter in the world. There aren’t any questions he hasn’t answered with his torrid hot streak, and though his age is a concern, that’s always been a concern.
So you can go ahead and abandon any thoughts you might’ve had that Albert Pujols would sign an ordinary contract. Albert Pujols will sign an extraordinary contract, because in 2011, despite an early lull, Albert Pujols has once again proven that he’s an extraordinary player. The more things change, and all that.
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