Former Cardinals Watch

[Big Amoco Sign]

You hate Fangraphs. We get it.

I don't, and I'm not sure you do.

So just insecure as hell then?

I'm fine with a Yadi statue, btw. Any size.

[Hoot45]

You hate Fangraphs. We get it.

I don't, and I'm not sure you do.

So just insecure as hell then?

Sure. Want to go bowling?

[Diddy]

Deserves a statue for sure. This isn't Barry Bonds on the Pirates, this was 11 seasons. His best seasons.

Cardinals may never see a player like that in a long, long time.

Yeah but it will be one of the smaller ones in front of the team store. Not the Stan-sized one he could’ve had.

And only if he's good with it. If not, find other ways to honor him and move on.

He’s a big part of cardinal history. Why would it matter if he’s good with it? It’s also about respect so we know he’s all about that.

[heyzeus]

Jaime Garcia is apparently going to the Cubs.

[sighyoung]

Deserves a statue for sure. This isn't Barry Bonds on the Pirates, this was 11 seasons. His best seasons.

Cardinals may never see a player like that in a long, long time.

Yeah but it will be one of the smaller ones in front of the team store. Not the Stan-sized one he could’ve had.

And only if he's good with it. If not, find other ways to honor him and move on.

He’s a big part of cardinal history. Why would it matter if he’s good with it? It’s also about respect so we know he’s all about that.

It seems to me that the Cardinals would, as a matter of course, work with every person they planned to honor. That's all I meant. Such coordination is pro forma, and, as you said, a matter of respect.

"Hey Albert! We've commissioned this statue--hell no, you don't get to look at it! By the way, the unveiling is September 11th--be there or be square!"

Of course, if an awkward scene from The Office is your idea of great optics, go for it.

[OmahaCard79]

Been a long time since I posted here, but I found this interesting. I wonder if AP5 seriously regrets his decisions at this point. If memory serves, the Cardinals offered to make him the highest paid player in baseball for 5 years. That was one offer and the 2nd was a more modest 10 year deal. The Angels swooped in with this backloaded monstrosity of a contract that I can't even imagine Pujols fulfilling the 10 years at this point. He either has to retire and forfeit the money or it's going to become an ugly situation where they have to consider DFA'ing him or buying him out somehow. I don't remember the math, but he probably could have made about as much money in St. Louis through 7 seasons than he has in Anaheim. Most of their fans want him gone at this point and he's become a forgotten figure in LA.

With that being said, I think he'll try to come back next year to get to 2k RBI's, get to about 3,200 hits, maybe 650 homers, play one last time in STL, and then retire or be DFA'd. It's going to be interesting to see the discussions this offseason.

[OmahaCard79]

Oh, and zero chance he goes into the hall as an Angel. I can barely see a scenario where that happens. If I had to set some odds, I'd guess...

1. He goes in as a Cardinal (60%)
2. He goes in with a blank hat (25%)
3. Some scandal like doping keeps him out of the hall (10%)
4. He goes in as an Angel (5%)

[jagtrader]

Who knows if Pujols regrets his decision? My guess is no. Athletes aren't really wired that way. Leaving kept him from having his decline phase tied to a monster contract while wearing a Cardinals uniform. That would have hurt his legacy in St. Louis, too.

[OmahaCard79]

And we all knew this was going to happen, but I find a few of my posts from 2012 to be pretty close to what actually happened. I kind of regret the 2nd one though. Watching Pujols struggle this much hasn't been fun at all. I felt jilted in 2012. Now, I wish he had enough left in the tank to set a few records...

Will the Angels fans be the bad guys when they are booing Pujols when he's hitting .260 with 20 homers in September of 2017?

Will Pujols be the bad guy when he has a meltdown on the Angels fans or some beat writer when that heppens?

Someone will ultimately be the bad guy in this. I don't see a scenario playing out where Pujols lives up to that deal and lives happily ever after in LA. What he did in STL and how much they paid him there is irrelevant to LA and their fans.

I want him to put up some good stats for the next 5 years to cement his legacy personally. 3,000 hits, 500-600 homers, etc. I don't want him to ever win another MVP or World Series and I don't want to see him put up a single season better than what he had in STL. I would then like to see the last 5 years of his deal with Anahem become a total albatross to that franchise to the point where the deal looks like one of the worst in baseball history and the Angels are paying 90% for Albert to make one final farewell tour with St. Louis when he's 41.

[Spider John]

David Freese is now a Dodger.