Angels We Have Heard On High

The California Angels of Anaheim Orange County have reportedly signed Alfonso Soriano – check that, Albert Pujols – to a ten year $250 million contract. All I can say is did Arte Moreno ever hear the phrase “Those that don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it”?

Pujols is 32 (at least that’s as many years as he’s willing to admit to). Last season he had his “worst” production of his career. Thirty-two homeruns, 99 RBIs and a .299 batting average. Certainly awesome numbers for 99.6% of all baseball players, but not what you expect out of Pujols. So the Angels had to evaluate:

• Whether last year was an aberration or the beginning of the end for Pujols’ stellar production;
• Whether Pujols is 32 or 33 or 37;
• Whether Pujols could maintain his production until age 42 (or 43 or 47)

Apparently they decided on the more positive side of all those points.

While I am a Cubs fan, I am not the brain-dead Cubs fan that says “The Cardinals organization and all its players all suck because . . . they’re Cardinals.” I respect the success that both the Cardinals and Pujols have achieved. Having said that, I am THRILLED that if Pujols didn’t go back to the Cards he went somewhere other than Clark and Addison. Not that I don’t think Pujols is a good player. He is. I just don’t think he’ll be a good player (worth $25million) in 10 years. We’ve seen Soriano not be able to last eight years successfully.

Moments after Pujols was signed, the Angels dropped another $77.5 million over five years for overrated and post-season bust CJ Wilson. Again let me say, as a Cubs fan, thank you for our Christmas present.

In the Age of Theo we don’t know what to expect as he hasn’t made a “splash” getting players yet. He has said he won’t pay for players on the downside of their careers or go extremely long-term either. So far he’s held firm in the approach. I guess I’m still having my Hendry feelings come up where I could be sufficiently concerned that Pujols would have come here with a 12 year NO TRADE deal.

This off-season, with Pujols, Wilson and catcher Chris Iannetta, the Angels have screamed from the mountaintops that they will NOT be ignored. On paper they have improved. On the field, they most likely have improved for the next year or two. It will be the 3-7 years after that that will be interesting.