Albert Pujols to become free agent next season as no deal with St. Louis Cardinals – MLB News
The St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols failed to reach an agreement before the deadline and this effectively makes the player a free agent in the next season.
It looks like the Cardinals will have Pujols for this season, but after that the slugger will become a free agent and be able to sign with any team in the league that can afford him.
The fans and the team were sorely disappointed that a deal could not be reached with one of the most exciting and talented players in the league. It is rumoured that Pujols was asking for a 10 year $300 million deal and the Cardinals were offering an eight
year deal with $25-30 million a year. However, it was not sufficient as he is now focused on putting in this season with the Cardinals and then becoming a free agent to play elsewhere.
This is a serious blow to the Cardinals as the Pujols is considered to be the best player in Major League Baseball. Many experts feel that he is at par or even better than players like Alex Rodriguez who are currently earning much more than he is.
The deadline for negotiations was made by Pujols as he wanted to concentrate on his game and not just spend the entire offseason working on his contract. He did however mention that he will be willing to start negotiations again after the regular season
is over.
Cardinals’ general manager John Mozeliak was satisfied that the team had made their best offer to Pujols.
"We felt very good about the offer we made," Mozeliak said, "and we felt that it recognized his iconic status and it also still allowed us to put a successful club out there. So as we sit there and reflect today, I certainly believe that we made every effort
to try to get a deal done."
The team is still confident as they have Pujols for this season and they feel they will be able to negotiate with him at the end of the season. Currently the team can now focus on the field and get ready for Spring Training and the subsequent regular season
that follows. The Cardinals will be looking to put in a good performance and build some confidence and momentum into the team to get a good start to the regular season.
Pujols is a tremendous player, as he has scored 30 or more home-runs throughout his 10 year career. He has been an All-Star nine times. The player commented that he is now focused on putting in a good performance for the team and look towards the World Series.
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