In the end, it was just too much money for Albert Pujols to turn down. The St. Louis Cardinals offered him a chance to finish out his career with one team and cement his legacy as that storied organization’s greatest player. Yes, even better than Stan Musial. You already could hear the standing ovations at the new Busch Stadium as Pujols reached one milestone after another over the next decade. But how does anyone turn down the Los Angeles Angels’ 10-year, $254 million offer — the second-highest contract in baseball history? Pujols may not have surpassed Musial. But he came close enough in 11 years with St. Louis, and those two World Series titles, including one this fall, should soothe Cardinals fans a little. Combine that with the retirement of his longtime manager, Tony La Russa, and it’s easy to argue that this was the perfect time for Pujols to make a change.
It doesn’t hurt that he still has a chance to win a World Series in Orange County. Los Angeles hasn’t been afraid to spend money under owner Arte Moreno. This is an organization that won a World Series of its own in 2002 and has made the postseason six times over the last 11 years. And the Angels didn’t stop at Pujols, also signing hometown pitcher C.J. Wilson to a five-year, $77.5 million contract on Thursday. That weakens their chief rival in the AL West, the Texas Rangers, and adds another quality arm to a starting rotation that already ranked fifth in the majors in 2011 (3.59 staff ERA).
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But Los Angeles managed just 667 runs last season, 17th overall. Pujols alone will go a long way toward pushing the Angels above 700 runs. That still can’t match Boston, Texas or the New York Yankees — all of whom scored more than 800. And his presence might not be enough for them to catch Detroit (787) or Toronto (743), either. But combine a good lineup with that rotation and a strong bullpen, and Los Angeles has a chance to contend for a championship. That’s probably worth $254 million.
– Brian McNally
