Albert Pujols spoke with reporters on Monday and said he hopes a new contract can be worked out that will allow him to remain a Cardinal for the rest of his career.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Albert Pujols said Monday that he is ready to talk with the St. Louis Cardinals about a contract extension, adding that he would give the club a hometown discount if it meant a chance to compete for a World Series title.
Speaking at a news conference before he signed autographs at the Winter Warm-Up, Pujols reiterated his desire to sign an extension to stay in St. Louis – if the two sides can get a deal worked out in time.
Pujols, who hit .327 with 47 home runs and 135 RBIs in 2009, said he won't negotiate an extension during the season.
Audio clip
Albert Pujols
“Whenever they are ready to talk, me and my agent - we will be ready to talk,” Pujols said. “But I don’t want to bring that distraction into a season because my job is to concentrate for six months and hopefully longer (if we) get to the postseason. I don’t want that distraction.
“We are open to talk about it, but I can tell you one thing. When the season starts, we aren’t taking about it. My focus is to help this organization to win.”
Pujols, who won his third National League MVP Award in 2009, is entering the final year of a seven-year, $100 million contract that he signed before the 2004 season. But the Cardinals have a club option for 2011 that will surely be picked up if a extension has not already been reached by next season.
Talking to fans during a question and answer session on Monday morning at the Winter Warm-Up, Cardinals' President Bill DeWitt III was asked if the Cardinals had enough money to lock Pujols up long-term.
“I certainly hope so,” DeWitt said. “We have something in mind for Albert in terms of an extension. We want him to be a Cardinal for the rest of his career, and we think he wants that too.
“Albert is an iconic player. I like our chances, but you never know.”
DeWitt didn’t say when the Cardinals planned to initiate negotiations with Pujols.
St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols points skyward from second base after hitting a double in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on July 29, 2009.
With Pujols expected to warrant a contract that could be worth $25 million a year for as many as eight years, the slugger said he would take less money than he could likely get on the open market if it meant making the Cardinals a contending club.
“When I signed my contract back (in 2004), the Cardinals didn’t have to do that but they did it,” Pujols said. “And it was one of the best contracts at the time. Yes, you can compare my contract now to Manny Ramirez, (Mark) Teixeira, A-Rod, whoever you want, and it looks bad, but you know what, they were free agents and I wasn’t. I only had three years in the league and the Cardinals pretty much did me a favor, signing me for $100 million that year when they didn’t have to.
“When that time comes, obviously, if it’s taking a discount to make this organization better, then you know what? I want to have a great organization and be in the playoffs every year if we can.”
Hours after talking to the media, Pujols accepted his 2009 MVP award at the Baseball Writers dinner and thanked the 1985 NL champion Cardinals - who were also honored at the dinner on their 25th anniversary - for the legacy they left for other Cardinal teams and players to follow.
"This ballclub is going to do the best we can to follow that legacy," he told the crowd.
Despite his success, Pujols was hampered late in the year by an injured elbow, prompting surgery to remove bone chips following the Cardinals elimination from the playoffs in a three-game sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 30-year-old Pujols said he is fully recovered from the surgery and is ready to help the Cardinals return to the playoffs in 2010 – and beyond.
“I’ve been hitting for three weeks now, I’m really excited for spring training,” Pujols said. “I am swinging the bat pretty well. The ball is jumping pretty good off my bat. It feels good. It feels good to remove those bone spurs from there because I can feel that extension and that’s something that I didn’t have for quite a while and I had to deal with. Right now everything feels good. I feel really good."
Pujols admitted to reporters that he had no problem becoming a free agent in two years but said he would rather a deal be worked out to allow him to remain in St. Louis.
“I’ve talked to other guys who have played in organizations and this is the best organization because of the things that they allow us to do with our families," Pujols said. "Bringing kids to the ballpark and being in the clubhouse 15 minutes before the game - I don’t think there are too many organizations that allow you to do that. This is the right place for me to be and hopefully I can finish my career here.
“It’s hard to even think about playing somewhere else. Hopefully I don’t have to make that decision.”
Globe-Democrat.com sportswriter B.J. Rains can be reached at bjrains@globe-democrat.com.
Comments
spants (anonymous) says...
Huh. That's weird. Post-Dispatch and ESPN are telling me I should be worried that Albert is going to leave. Thanks for the refreshing take and for posting the audio. It's clear to me that Albert wants to be a Cardinal for life.
January 19, 2010 at 5:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Strange1 (anonymous) says...
Only if he gets the money he wants. That is not a complaint. Just the facts of life.
January 20, 2010 at 1:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )