Report: Pujols, Cards Not Close On New Contract
If the St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols were to hit the free agent waters he would stir up about as much interest and desire from teams and fans as LeBron James did.
And according to Jon Heyman, of SI.com, that's exactly where he seems to be heading. Pujols set a February 16 deadline for a new contract, and said that if no deal were completed by then he wouldn't discuss one in-season and would be on track to become an unrestricted free-agent.
There's an important note that was brought to light by MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez, the Cardinals have exclusive negotiating rights with their first baseman from the end of their season until five days after the World Series. So there's still a chance a deal could be reached after the February deadline and before Pujols would hit the open waters.
But it's not looking good for the Cardinals right now. Heyman reports that the two sides "aren't in same ballpark" in terms of overall money and the length of the contract. Pujols is looking for Alex Rodriguez-like money and then some, according to Heyman. A-Rod signed a 10-year, $275 million deal back in 2007.
