Originally Posted by
No coincidences
Don't get me wrong: I think Pujols is the greatest hitter to ever live (or at least unquestionably in the Top-4 with Ruth, Cobb and Ted Williams). He's also an outstanding and even underrated first baseman despite winning multiple Gold Gloves, and the perfect community role model.
With that being said, the Cardinals were, as usual, smart in standing their ground and not getting into a bidding war for Pujols. They set a ceiling and kept it. This may hurt them a little short-term, but a few years from now, who will be better off? The Cardinals can do quite a bit with $22 million per, and as they've proven in the past, they'll spend it wisely and efficiently. They're still one of the best franchises in MLB, and baseball is a quintessential team sport. Hard to say any player is worth $25 million per at age 32 for such a long period of time -- even Albert Pujols.
I wouldn't worry too much Cardinal fans. Your team will be just fine next year, and even better off a few seasons down the road. Anaheim overpaid for Pujols and embarrassed themselves with the CJ Wilson contract. Good luck with that.