Baseball, Ego and Greed

As with most St. Louis Cardinals fans, I’ve come to revere the seemingly superhuman talents of Albert Pujols, who for the first decade of his career has put up numbers unmatched in the history of baseball.

For the spiritually inclined such as me, Pujols is even more appealing. He talks openly about his Christian faith, donates time and money to charitable causes, doesn’t brag about his God-given talents, and speaks fondly of the privilege of playing for the Cardinals. When he gets a hit, Pujols typically points to the sky as an acknowledgement that the glory should go to God. Thomas Nelson has just published a faith-based biography of the first baseman.

Which makes the breakdown of contract talks this spring all the more puzzling. Pujols is signed through this season, finishing up a contract that will pay him $16 million in 2011. That’s certainly more money than virtually everyone else in America makes.

Yet Pujols isn’t the highest paid player in baseball. And apparently because he feels he is the best player in the game, he thinks he should be compensated accordingly. The Cardinals offered a reported eight-year deal worth around $200 million, but Pujols rejected it. He is said to want a $300 million, 10-year contract.

So, it appears after the 2011 season Pujols will test the free-agent market. There may be teams out there willing to give him what he wants. But for the Cardinals, which don’t have the seemingly endless bankroll of the Yankees or Red Sox, it doesn’t make sense to tie up so much money in one player. It also could mean mutiny from the fan base to pay $30 million a year to Pujols at age 41 if his skills have greatly diminished. Most players have retired by that age.

A club has no recourse but to continue paying an underperforming or hurt player. St. Louis is on the hook to shell out $12 million this season to hurt star pitcher Adam Wainwright — even though he won’t play in any games.

The sentiment at the end of last season among many Cardinals fans was that Pujols must be resigned to play his entire career in St. Louis no matter what the cost. But now most enthusiasts are siding with the club. Greed and ego have their limitations.