LITTLE ROCK — Without publicly disclosing any numbers, the St. Louis Cardinals made an offer to Albert Pujols last week, which they called their “best” offer. Supposedly there will be no more Pujols contract negotiations until after the 2011 World Series, when he becomes a free agent.
In the final year of his current St. Louis contract, Pujols will earn $16 million, with $4 million deferred without interest. There is speculation the Cardinals offered him about $200 million for the next eight years. Whatever they offered, he declined.
The best we recall, not many weeks ago Pujols and his advisors were talking about $300 million for 10 years. If he is still playing by then, Pujols would be 41 in 2021, and almost certainly on part-time status due to age or injuries.
But if any contemporary baseball star deserves to lead the players’ soaring salaries these days, it should be Pujols, already a three-time MVP. His statistical credentials are phenomenal; his work ethic and consistency are the stuff of legends.
For his first 10 years with the Cardinals, Pujols averaged 41 home runs and 123 RBI per season, with a .331 career batting average. He has won six Silver Slugger awards and two Gold Gloves as a first baseman. He is the only player in major league history to hit 30 or more home runs in each of his first 10 seasons.
His 2011 season will be carefully studied across the majors, by the Cardinals, who certainly hope to keep him, and by clubs such as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, rabid collectors of expensive playing talent.
A mediocre season by Pujols’ standards, such as slipping to 29 home runs, 99 RBI, or a .299 percentage might cost him a few million on the next contract he signs.However, a triple crown sort of year for Pujols might allow him to beat Alex Rodriguez’s record $275 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees.
Hall of Famer Johnny Mize, one of Pujols’ long-ago predecessors as a St. Louis first baseman, lived long enough to see baseball free agency established, although much too late to do Mize any good. He spent 15 seasons with the Cardinals (1936-1941), New York Giants (1942, 1946-1949) and Yankees (1949-1953).
I interviewed him in Florida during spring training in the early 1980s. “I don’t like to talk to newspapermen,” Mize said. Two hours later, he was still telling me he didn’t like reporters, but he was also talking about the difficulties of wrestling money away from Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey.
Without consulting any source, he accurately told me he’d batted .329, .364, .337, .349, .314 and .317 in six seasons with St. Louis.
“He’d send me a contract, and I’d send it back.” Mize said. “I wanted such-and-such amount of money; he wanted to give me two or three thousand less.
“For instance, I won the National League batting title in 1939. I led the league in home runs with 28, and batted in 108 runs. Know what Rickey said when we talked contract? He said, ‘John, a fellow who batted .349 and hit 28 home runs should have driven in 140 runs.’ I think he finally gave me a $400 raise.
“OK, Rickey wanted RBIs, so the next year (1940), I led the league with 43 home runs and 137 RBI. Rickey said, ‘John, I’m alarmed. You lost 35 points on your batting average (down to .314).’ ”
After batting .317 and driving in 100 runs for the 1941 Cards, Mize was traded to the Giants. “The pay wasn’t super in New York either, but at least it was a decent amount of money,” Mize said.
Like Pujols today, Mize had a salary figure in mind while trying to negotiate with Rickey many years ago. Obviously, Pujols is shooting for millions.
Mize never reached his salary goal with Rickey and the Cardinals before being traded away.
He was seeking $25,000.
Sports, Pages 16 on 02/22/2011