Should have signed Fielder instead of Pujols

[Ohtaniland]

They shouldn't have signed either, both have horrendously bad contracts.  Imagine the kind of pitching this team could have gotten for $250,000,000 over 10 years.  They also wouldn't have a gaping Poo Hole smack dab in the middle of the lineup for 8 more years.

 

Those horrendous contracts are easier to swallow when the team is winning. The Tigers / Fielder deal looks much better because of the standings. If we were all putting in our deposits for playoff tickets no one would care about what we paid for Albert.

[KingJustinian]

Need to wait 2-3 more years to tell for sure. I want to see at least another full year of a healthy Pujols before making an judgments.

[LAA Road Tripper]

With all the negatives - the Chevron bullpen, a minor league system ranked 45th among the 30 teams, all of it - you know what would be great next year just stating the obvious? Pujols getting out to a fast start, say 8 home runs and an OPS of 1.000. Hamilton waking up. Getting solid starts and at least an above average pen in April. 19-11 for the month. It'd give us all something sorely lacking lately - some real hope.

[Mark68]

With all the negatives - the Chevron bullpen, a minor league system ranked 45th among the 30 teams, all of it - you know what would be great next year just stating the obvious? Pujols getting out to a fast start, say 8 home runs and an OPS of 1.000. Hamilton waking up. Getting solid starts and at least an above average pen in April. 19-11 for the month. It'd give us all something sorely lacking lately - some real hope.

Too bad Scioscia's teams take April off.

[Chuck]

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all the Albert Pujols hate here.

Nope. Still don't get it.

[tennischmp]

His numbers are down this year, certainly, but he's still pretty productive, and since 2012, has been MUCH better than Pujols.

 

I think it's just a blip on the radar.

Not MUCH better surprisingly. OPS is 868 vs 823

[Taylor]

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all the Albert Pujols hate here.

Nope. Still don't get it.

 

If he had hit well this season, people would love him. Because he struggled, people see fit to attack his character.

[Chuck]

If he had hit well this season, people would love him. Because he struggled, people see fit to attack his character.

He played through pain and on one foot and still put up numbers that would have seen him hit 30 HR and close to or over 100 RBI. 

 

Weird. 

[ettin]

I doubt the TV deal was contingent on signing Pujols. That argument, to me, is a red herring.

 

I don't think the TV deal was contingent on signing Pujols either. However it certainly may have had an impact in how much the deal was worth, including partial ownership of Fox Sports West.

[Ohtaniland]

Fox Sports West is thanking their lucky stars that Mike Trout showed up on the scene or nobody would be watching FSW.

[AngelsAndRamsFan]

I don't think the TV deal was contingent on signing Pujols either. However it certainly may have had an impact in how much the deal was worth, including partial ownership of Fox Sports West.

One of the Angel beat writers (William Boor), has confirmed that's not true. 

[Docwaukee]

With all the negatives - the Chevron bullpen, a minor league system ranked 45th among the 30 teams, all of it - you know what would be great next year just stating the obvious? Pujols getting out to a fast start, say 8 home runs and an OPS of 1.000. Hamilton waking up. Getting solid starts and at least an above average pen in April. 19-11 for the month. It'd give us all something sorely lacking lately - some real hope.

wins?

[FireThemAll]

I don't "hate" him.  I just hate his contract, which is the 2nd worst contract ever signed in MLB history.  Yes, his foot hurt and that is a legitimate excuse for his sheer suckage in 2013 but excuses don't make the reality of his contract go away.

 

I agree. Except I think Pujols' contract is worse than A-Rod's. A-Rods first few years were far better than Pujols'. Plus the Yankees get out of at least a season of A-Rod because of the biogenesis thing

[ten ocho recon scout]

I agree. Except I think Pujols' contract is worse than A-Rod's. A-Rods first few years were far better than Pujols'. Plus the Yankees get out of at least a season of A-Rod because of the biogenesis thing

They're also paying him more.

And arod has a lot more incentives written into the contract. Like the store at the stadium that sells only his merchandise that he gets a cut of.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Bump

[ten ocho recon scout]

Fielder is essentially a DH making 23 million a year. Would you guys really have wanted that contract?

flute jinxed himself on that one

[Angelsjunky]

Can we admit that both contracts suck? And that Miggy's contract will eventually suck as well?

[Stradling]

What percentage of big time long term contracts haven't sucked in baseball? I can't really think of any. Maybe the first Jeter one, or Steroids Manny one, and even that one they traded away.

[Angelsjunky]

What percentage of big time long term contracts haven't sucked in baseball? I can't really think of any. Maybe the first Jeter one, or Steroids Manny one, and even that one they traded away.

 

Almost all of them suck - at least those signed after 30. Now if a GM realizes this, there are two possible responses: Sign them anyway, "because everyone's doing it." Or, don't sign them and allocate your resources more wisely.

 

This, in my mind, is what separates the wheat from the chaff among GMs. This isn't to harp on Dipoto, as I think Pujols and Hamilton were more Arte.

 

I'm not entirely opposed to big contracts, but not like Pujols' - that was just silly, as was Fielder's and Cabrera's. Oh yeah, let's add Crawford - talk about a dodged bullet. But I think they have to be done wisely and not just upped to outbid the others.

 

To be fair, Pujols is a head-scratcher (unless he really is a few years older). He really shouldn't have declined so quickly - and no one was expecting it, including myself. I thought he'd rebound and have two or three years around his 2010 numbers (.950+ OPS, 6+ WAR), and then another two or three years around his 2011 numbers (.900 OPS, 4+ WAR), and then a decline from there. If that had happened, we could have lived with his contract as an overpay but one that bore fruit. Now the best we are all hoping for is a return to 2012, which was pretty decent but a far-cry from "Pujolsian" and not at all what the Angels paid for and thought they were getting, at least not until later on in his contract. In other words, the problem is that even if he's finally healthy now, he's at the point in his career where normal decline would really start happening, so it will likely all even out and we probably won't ever see a great year from him.

[nate]

Yeah, those huge contracts are really dangerous.

 

I think it is a combination of most of them coming as the players are on the downward trajectory, as far as their prime years are concerned, and maybe some complacency.  Also, many of them that happened in the last ten years were also players that were roiding, and once they got their big contract they had no reason to continue with them.  That is skeptical of me but I really think it to be true.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Roids were the biggest insirance for sure. But the market used to be a lot different too. Because of steroids, guys had a lot longer careers. So you were seeing 5 or 6 big name guys on the FA market every year, because they didnt sign long term. They usually sogned for 3-4, and got a better contract.

Arod was the first big one (manny right behind him, I think the same day). Both juiced, but to be fair (and I hate them both), they both loved up to thr money. Arods first contract was fine..it was the second one that was stupid.

[stormngt]

So will Trouts. When he signs his second one

Can we admit that both contracts suck? And that Miggy's contract will eventually suck as well?

[Inside Pitch]

flute jinxed himself on that one

 

Nah, he's just quote himself and then say that his statement was "patently false".

 

You beat me to it BTW...

Edited July 14, 2014 by Inside Pitch

[Blarg]

You have to get up pretty early in the morning to beat Scout. Looks like about 3:30 in the morning.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Got off work late and was wired. Figured this place isnt the same without some negative threads.

It just isnt