Albert adjusting his cap before a Sunday afternoon game this past season. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak left MLB’s winter meetings in Dallas without talking to the media and he also cancelled his press conference last night. We are awaiting an official announcement from the club which should come later today. It looks like the Angels just outspent the Cardinals for Albert Pujols, by giving him $250 million over 10 years. The Cardinals offered a contract that could have reached 10 years, but didn’t guarantee it.
Pujols is a three-time National League Most Valuable Player and a 10-time All-Star. He’s a lifetime .328 hitter with a .420 on-base percentage, a .617 slugging percentage, 445 home runs and 1,329 RBIs. He has won two Gold Glove Awards and six Silver Sluggers.
Don’t look for the Cardinals to go shopping for Prince Fielder, although that could certainly be an option. The Cardinals will most likely move Lance Berkman to first and have Allen Craig become the right fielder.