LaRussa is Right

Albert Pujols is set to become a free agent at the end of the season unless he and the Cardinals can agree to a new deal by the end of the day today (or so he says - I however can't see him declining to accept an offer in July if it is too his liking). I have pretty much ignored this story up until recently because I always just assumed that he would re-sign with the Cards. I mean, we all know that St. Louis is not a big market and they just can't throw money around carelessly, but you have to think GM John Mozeliak and company would do everything in their power to keep their star player from leaving town. On top of that, in a statement that is totally unfair because it is a total assumption, but Pujols seems to be a humble, hard-working guy who is a perfect fit for the 'best baseball in America.'

Over the past few days though, Cards Manager has jumped into the conversation and suddenly made things interested. LaRussa is of the belief that the MLB Union is pressuring Albert to take money, suggesting that it's "not just arm-twisting. It's dropping an anvil on your back through the roof of your house." It's a claim that I think definitely has some weight behind it, even though Michael Weiner, the executive director of the players' union, denied such, saying "It's never been the union's policy to pressure players and certainly it's never been the union's policy to pressure players because they have to set the bar for other players."

Now I'm not a LaRussa fan and while I don't think he necessarily should be sticking his nose into Pujols' contract negotiations (although the outcome will certainly affect him), I think his comments are probably right on target. Major Leaguers have been getting staggering contracts for the past two decades and it's a trend that I don't think will come to an end anytime soon. While Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia are two of the biggest names in the sport, Albert Pujols is without a doubt the best player in the game. He is the only player in history to have 10 straight seasons of 30 hr's, 100 rbi and .300average. He is only 31 years old and compared to other stars such as Alex Rodriguez, he has been woefully underpaid (yes, I know how ridiculous that statement is) for the past decade.

Reports are indicating that Pujols wants a deal close to A-Rod's 10 year, $275 million contract but that the Cards are offering in the 8 year, $200+million contract. Others are speculating that Pujols is holding out for a contract that would pay him a record breaking $30 million/year. In terms of salary structure, it's an easy argument to make. You're the best player in the game and yet you are not the highest paid player. Something needs to give.

But what if LaRussa is right and Pujols is simply being pressued by the Union? What if he is ok with less money if it means he gets to return to St Louis rather than having to take his talents to Broadway or Fenway where undoubtedly media scrutiny would be 10 times greater? At the current time we don't know the real situation, but sometimes where there is smoke there is fire. I mean, it's not like the Union doesn't have a vested interest in Pujols getting more money. Currently their is an unwritten cap to salaries - no one should make more money than A-Rod. He is the gold standard and the other megastars are compared to him. If the gold standard is to increase then all MLB salaries would increase, regardless if you are Cliff Lee or DJ Carrasco. While Wiener has denied pressuing Pujols into taking more money, Cards pitcher Adam Wainwright has basically admitted that it could be happening, saying that the Union's"job is to make sure we get the most that we can. That's what they're paid to do and that's what we pay them to do and that's why we need them."

If you take the emotion out of this situation, it's pretty simple. A worker who can help set the salary structure for all workers is being pressued by the Union to take money in order to help out his fellow worker. If we were talking about any normal 9-5 job with salaries in the low $40k, this would be perfectly acceptable, if not commendable. Unfortunately, this isn't your typical job, so a situation like this leaves any rational thinking person sick to their stomach. It's hard for the common man to understand why you would hold out for $30million/year when $25 million/year is being offered. At the end of the day it's all about perspective I suppose. Professional athletes are not like you and me - their brains are wired differently and if they get pressure from their Union to take more money, even if they are already being offered $25 million/year, then they will demand more just to make the Union happy and to help their fellow baseball player.

This is just another example of how athletes are out of touch with reality. While they think of themselves as just another labor group, fans are able to see them for what they are - talented individuals who get to play sports for a living. They are not curing cancer. They are not teaching America's youth. They are not doing the hard labor that keeps America running. No, they are hitting a ball, throwing a ball through a hoop or tackling someone with pads on. Holding out for money is irresponsible and immoral. Unfortunately it won't be coming to an end anytime soon, which means you and I need to decide whether it's enough of an issue to make us stop coming back. I'm not at the point now, but if this keeps up it certainly might be in the future.

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On a totally unrelated note, one of my favorite Mets of all time, Jason Isringhausen has signed a minor league deal with the Mets and will be invited to Spring Training. Izzy and the entire Generation K group (he, Bill Pulsipher and Paul Wilson) ended up being a total bust, but for one offseason in 1995, they gave Mets fans tons of hope of what might be. unfortunately for Izzy, his success didn't come until after he left the team (292 saves, 2.99 ERA and 2 All-Star appearances for the A's, Cards and Rays). I for one am hoping that at 38 he can make the team and provide the bullpen with some much needed depth.