ST. LOUIS (AP)—Albert Pujols is long gone, and the St. Louis Cardinals
seem just fine about defending their World Series title without him. Their fans,
too.
General manager John Mozeliak got a favorable reception at the team’s annual
Winter Warmup this weekend when he revisited the negotiations. Chairman Bill
DeWitt is bullish about the moves made with the Pujols money.
“I think we came out of it great,” DeWitt said Sunday. “I feel great
going into the season.”
Outfielder Matt Holliday pointed out Sunday he’s played more seasons without
Pujols as a teammate than with him, and that every year it’s different.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed that he’s not going to be here. He’s a great
player and a good friend,” Holliday said. “I still think we have a great team.
We’ve got to move on.”
Lance Berkman joked that his initial reaction when he learned Pujols had
signed was unrelated to the loss of a three-time NL MVP. It was that he would be
playing first base.
Berkman was the NL comeback player of the year as the right fielder, his
first regular outfield duty in several seasons. Berkman was eager to make that
move, believing that more straight line running and fewer stops and starts would
be easier on his legs, but he has no problem switching back.
Last January, Berkman thought Pujols would play his entire career with the
Cardinals. He pointed out that before 2010 he envisioned being a career Astro.
“I would have said `Hey, there’s absolutely no way he’s going to go
anywhere,” Berkman said. “I thought I was always going to be in Houston and
here I am a happy member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
“You can’t ever tell in this day and age.”
DeWitt had no regrets about the failed talks, saying the team had offered as
much as it could. The Cardinals made a 10-year offer with a lower annual salary
worth more than $200 million and a five-year, $130 million offer with a higher
annual salary, before getting swamped by the Angels’ 10-year, $240 million
contract that, like the Cardinals’ offer, included a personal services contract.
Mozeliak remembered the negotiations as an “exhausting process,” and
believes fans understood when Pujols left.
“From a fan standpoint, they just want to see a good club out there,”
Mozeliak said. “They value probably the Cardinal logo on the front more than
the name on the back, and they want to see winning.
“How long that honeymoon will last, time will tell.”
DeWitt said suggestions the Cardinals were happy to be unburdened by Pujols’
salary are off-base. DeWitt said he and general manager Mozeliak “made it
clear” to Pujols and his wife, Deirdre, in a telephone conversation how much
they wanted him to stay.
The Cardinals redirected the Pujols money, signing outfielder Carlos Beltran
to a two-year, $26 million deal and re-signing shortstop Rafael Furcal to a
two-year, $14 million contract.
Plus, former 20-game winner Adam Wainwright is set to return from
reconstructive elbow surgery.
“I think we’ll have a better pitching staff than we did last year, I think
our bullpen is more settled than it was at this time last year and when you add
a guy like Carlos Beltran, our offense is still going to be good,” Berkman
said.
