While there have been all kinds of rumors and speculation flying around Dallas this week, most everyone’s attention has rested on Albert Pujols. We entered yesterday with the belief that a Pujols decision could be on the horizon. While Albert didn’t make his choice Tuesday, the Pujols-saga continued to unfold at the Winter Meetings. Here’s the latest Albert Pujols rumors as we prepare for day three of the madness.
The big Pujols-related news yesterday was the offers extended to the slugger. Two known teams, the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals, have reportedly put ten-year, $200 million-plus offers on the table for Pujols. There are also reports that a third “mystery” team has come into the bidding by extending a similar offer to Pujols.
Beyond the Marlins and Cardinals, many were left trying to figure out who this mystery team was. The Chicago Cubs and LA Angels were the two teams most frequently tied to Pujols yesterday. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted that the Cubs are “definitely in” on Pujols, while Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports said late last night that the Angels are “definitely not in on Pujols”.
The Marlins were pushing very hard to finalize a deal with Pujols Tuesday night while the Cardinals remained hopeful that they would be able to bring Albert back.
One of the final remaining issues seems to be a no-trade clause. The Marlins do not include said clauses in their contracts with free agents, but it has been reported that they may be willing to do so for a player such as Pujols.
All of the media in Dallas was on “red alert” last night anticipating a Pujols announcement, but nothing came. Many believe that the Pujols sweepstakes are down to the Marlins and Cardinals.
We all know how quickly these reports can change, so it will be interesting to see how the Albert Pujols drama unfolds today.
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