Pujols to Anaheim Angels for 10 years/$250 million

[Bradleyguy10]

Interesting to note that per twitter reports, the Marlins were the high bidders for both Pujols and Wilson.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/1...ls-wilson.html

I didn't read your link but I think there was a spin on that. I thought it was the "highest bidders" when they included the no tax thing in Florida.

That's kind of like saying the cardinals deal matched the LA deal if you take into account higher taxes in SoCal and the cost of living there vs. st. louis. When you are making that much money I'm not sure that stuff matters to them or what...

Edit: just read it..Bob Nightengale reported that...that's why I think it's wrong!! But I did hear the no state tax thing brought it up to 270-280 NOT that the original was 270-280 and the no tax brought it up to 300....albert would've taken the highest bid, period.

[real fan]

this is going to get sticky -- leave it up or take it down?
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...9bb30f31a.html

I kind of felt the same way about Tom Glavine when he left the Braves to go to the Mets for more money, most everyone will forgive Albert like I did Tom for leaving because as time passes you realize without these 2 players the Cardinals don"t get to the World Series let alone win 2 of them and the Braves could not have won their's in 1995 as Glavine pitched a 1 hitter against Cleveland.

[shaunguth]

Not yet but that is what they are trying to do and I kind of like their chances.

We shall see.

[shaunguth]

The Yankees and Red Sox have done it several times, and the Marlins also spent their way to their first championship in 1997.

Ohhh.....I'm not saying it's never been done. I'm just saying that it's FAR too early to say the Angels have done that.

Besides, all those teams that "bought a championship" are only playing by the rules. How many teams at the top of the salary lists do NOT win the championship in any given season?

[shaunguth]

Three of the last eleven World Series champions have had either the highest or second-highest salaried roster.

Arizona, 2001 - 8th
Anaheim, 2002 - 15th
Florida, 2003 - 25th
Boston, 2004 - 2nd
White Sox, 2005 - 13th
St. Louis, 2006 - 11th
Boston, 2007 - 2nd
Philadelphia, 2008 - 12th
Yankees, 2009 - 1st
San Francisco, 2010 - 10th
St. Louis, 2011 - 5th

[Da Coach]

Good work shaun. I notice that only once did the highest spending team win the World Series. And other than the 2003 Marlins, no team with a team salary below the median has won. What it proves is that spending money doesn't always guarantee a championship, but not spending above the average almost always guarantees a team won't win.

[mrcoachdude]

thought you were different Albert...guess I was wrong...you said it wasn't about money and that you already had yours...

Sad to see him go because of him being a farm product and all..aprreciate what he has done for the Cardinals and hope he does well in LA...unless he plays vs the Cardinals...

Happy for the Cardinals that they don't have to carry that burden of a contract...

Lets get a fine SS, LHRP, and another outfielder...

[Chico]

thought you were different Albert...guess I was wrong...you said it wasn't about money and that you already had yours...

Sad to see him go because of him being a farm product and all..aprreciate what he has done for the Cardinals and hope he does well in LA...unless he plays vs the Cardinals...

Happy for the Cardinals that they don't have to carry that burden of a contract...

Lets get a fine SS, LHRP, and another outfielder...

If Buerhle had waited a day longer to sign with somebody, IMO, you might have had him. Cards have a lot more to play with now that he's gone.

[rsmit84]

Three of the last eleven World Series champions have had either the highest or second-highest salaried roster.

Arizona, 2001 - 8th
Anaheim, 2002 - 15th
Florida, 2003 - 25th
Boston, 2004 - 2nd
White Sox, 2005 - 13th
St. Louis, 2006 - 11th
Boston, 2007 - 2nd
Philadelphia, 2008 - 12th
Yankees, 2009 - 1st
San Francisco, 2010 - 10th
St. Louis, 2011 - 5th

Pretty sure the cardinals were only the 11th highest salary this past season, not 5th

[BuB]

Interesting to note that per twitter reports, the Marlins were the high bidders for both Pujols and Wilson.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/1...ls-wilson.html

I can think of 2 great reasons why they turned down the Marlins.

Ozzie Guillen and Jeffrey Loria

No way did they want to be around that circus

[Beninator]

I can think of 2 great reasons why they turned down the Marlins.

Ozzie Guillen and Jeffrey Loria

No way did they want to be around that circus

IMHO, the main reason both turned down the Marlins was the reluctance of the team to give both players a no-trade clause in their contracts. I think that an exception could have been made in Albert's case but it is a team policy.

[Future Walk-On]

Pretty sure the cardinals were only the 11th highest salary this past season, not 5th

thats what I was gonna say...

they have consistently been 10-15 the past 15 years...

peaking at like 6th in 05

They were at about 105,000,000 this year and I heard the highest DeWitt wants to go is around 110,000,000

[real fan]

Good work shaun. I notice that only once did the highest spending team win the World Series. And other than the 2003 Marlins, no team with a team salary below the median has won. What it proves is that spending money doesn't always guarantee a championship, but not spending above the average almost always guarantees a team won't win.

It doesn"t guarantee you a World Series but go back and compare how many of these high priced teams get to the playoffs every year which gives them a lot better chance at winning a championship, the more times you get in the better your chances are of winning the World Series.

[shaunguth]

Pretty sure the cardinals were only the 11th highest salary this past season, not 5th

You're right......I mistakenly looked at average salaries for each team when I looked up the Cardinals for last season. They were 5th in that category.

[shaunguth]

It doesn"t guarantee you a World Series but go back and compare how many of these high priced teams get to the playoffs every year which gives them a lot better chance at winning a championship, the more times you get in the better your chances are of winning the World Series.

Yes, which means no team has "bought a championship" for next season at this point.....including the Angels. There's a little baseball to be played between now and then.