Schuster: Don't Believe Everything You Read
By David Schuster-
(WSCR) A report this morning out of the St. Louis Post Dispatch said that the Cubs have made a qualifying offer to Albert Pujols. The Cubs themselves had "no comment" on the report, but let's look at this realistically.
The Cubs are not going to sign Pujols.
The slugging first baseman will likely either remain in St. Louis or go to Miami which must have robbed a bank with all the money they are throwing around. Ultimately, Pujols is going to get a nine- or 10-year deal in the $250 million range, and there is no way the Cubs are going to invest that money in a guy who will be in his 40's toward the end of that contract.
What the Cubs are very possibly doing is just keeping tabs on the negotiations by staying in contact with Pujols' agent. Nothing wrong with seeing how the market is going, especially when it concerns two of your competitors.
The consensus is that the Cubs wont land either Pujols or Prince Fielder, but rather will go after someone more economically feasible like Gabby Sanchez. That way they can fill numerous other holes they have to fill, like at third base and in the pitching department.
Theo Epstein is pretty darn good at trying to throw people off base and the fact that he (supposedly) made a qualifying offer to Pujols' agent is just another example.
