First basemen Albert Pujols is entering his eleventh season as a St. Louis Cardinal … and now, it’s looking like it could be his last.
The Cardinals and Pujols failed to come to terms for a contract extension, clearing the way for Pujols to become a free agent at the end of the year.
But, might there still be time to reach a deal?
Matthew Leach writes about the Cardinals for mlb.com. He says that Cardinals ownership may be waiting for Pujols to reach free agency in order to let the market establish itself.
"The team has been very tight-lipped and they haven’t actually divulged what their strategy is," Leach said. "But sort of reading tea leaves and sort of putting two and two together and trying to get a read on what’s going on here, I think there’s a distinct possibility that to some extent they are calling a bluff here. And they’re saying, 'If that’s what you think you can get, tell you what, find out if that’s what you can get.'"
Pujols, who is 31 years old, is reportedly looking for a 10-year deal that would make him the game’s highest-paid player. The Cardinals are leery of a contract that would keep Pujols through his 41st birthday. Few players in the testing era continue to perform at a high level after their mid-thirties.
Adam Allington, St. Louis Public Radio
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