Pujols signs w Angels

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

The only problem is they had 1 title in 40 years then Albert hits his prime and they get 2 in 5.

But giving him $25 million/season wouldn't have extended that prime. And it's not exactly fair to mention the 40 year gap without also discussing the Brewery's refusal to spend money on the team for 30 years of that (or the fact that they won 2 additional pennants in that time period and had better regular seasons than both the team they lost to in the WS).

Sometimes it's best to recognize when the window is closing. I believe there's a good chance that Albert's best years are long gone. Additionally, the last 5 years have been arguably the best of Albert career; his true 'prime' years. In that time he was surrounded by CY caliber pitchers and GG caliber defenders. In the end, 4 of those seasons went without a single playoff win, 3 of them without a single playoff game. The last one, the WS year, was in the worst year of his career.

It's not as though the Cardinals were a runaway juggernaut during the prime of Albert's career. In fact, they peaked in 2004 really; when Edmonds and Rolen were at their best. The 2006 championship was a bit of a fluke (and AP wasn't exactly great during the post-season) and the 2011 one came with Lance Berkman as the team MVP.

Albert doesn't guarantee WS titles. Nor were any of those titles built exclusively on his back. You can fail to win one with him just as you can win one without him. If the Cardinals keep being smarter than their opponents, they'll keep contending for titles and winning one here and there. Giving AP 1/4 of a billion dollars would not be being smarter than their adversaries.