Angels lure Pujols with 10-year, $254M US deal

Three-time National League MVP Albert Pujols agreed Thursday to a 10-year, $254 million US contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

Pujols's contract, which is subject to a physical, is the second-highest in baseball history and only the third to break the $200 million barrier, following Alex Rodriguez's $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas before the 2001 season and A-Rod's $275 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees before the 2008 season.

"This is a monumental day for Angel fans and I could not be more excited," Angels owner Arte Moreno said.

In addition to the Pujols signing, the Angels agreed to a five-year contract with left-hander C.J. Wilson, a deal worth $77.5 million that raised their spending for the day to $331.5 million.

People familiar with the deals told The Associated Press the terms of each contract, speaking on condition of anonymity because those details were not made public.

CBSSports.com is saying Pujols received a full no-trade clause.

Pujols has spent all 11 of his major league seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming a franchise icon second only to Stan Musial. He is fourth in career slugging percentage at .617, trailing only Hall of Famers Babe Ruth (.690), Ted Williams (.634) and Lou Gehrig (.632). But he had his poorest season in 2011 and at 31 is likely to spend the majority of his career with the Angels at designated hitter rather than first base.

"We understand that players will go through peaks and valleys of sort," new Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "Albert has spent many years operating at peak, and if we want to call a decline going from superhuman to just great, I don't think we've seen the last great days of Albert Pujols, obviously, or we wouldn't be sitting here today."

Some have speculated he is older than his listed age. "Albert Pujols's age to me is not a concern," Dipoto said. "I'm not a scientist. I can't where he is, but I can tell you he hits like he's 27."

St. Louis also offered the slugger a 10-year deal, but he chose to leave the Gateway City for the freeway life..

"We are disappointed," Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. "I would like our fans to know that we tried our best to make Albert a lifetime Cardinal but unfortunately we were unable to make it happen."

Added former Cardinals manager Joe Torre: "He left a pretty good impact over there, I don't think fans will soon forget what his contributions were. I still think the St. Louis fans are going to be more appreciative than angry."

The Angels made the move as the financially troubled Los Angeles Dodgers are in the process of being sold by Frank McCourt in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, a move that could give the region's NL team a new wealthy owner next year. The Dodgers could aggressively bid for talent a year from now, giving them a boost in the regional competition for fans' attention.

'I think baseball needs to have a steroid-testing policy for owners.' — Andrew Zimbalist, sports economics professor

'Surprised'

"I'm a little surprised, I guess. I really thought he'd go back to St. Louis," said Cincinnati general manager Walt Jocketty, an NL Central rival of the Cardinals. "It's certainly good for our division."

The Angels, who finished 10 games behind pennant-winning Texas in the American League West, made the move as the financially troubled Los Angeles Dodgers are in the process of being sold by Frank McCourt in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, a deal that could give the region's NL team a new, wealthy owner. The Dodgers could aggressively bid for talent a year from now, giving them a boost in the regional competition for fans' attention.

"Winning breeds interest, and we are setting ourselves up to start next season with an opportunity to get good," Dipoto said.

Pujols led the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series title this fall — his second with the team. He had been pursued by the Miami Marlins, but they dropped out Wednesday after agreeing to a deal with left-hander Mark Buehrle that raised their free agent-spending to $191 million for three players following deals with closer Heath Bell and shortstop Jose Reyes.

"I think baseball needs to have a steroid-testing policy for owners," said Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economics professor at Smith College.

Pujols agreed in 2004 to a $100 million, seven-year contract, a deal that — with a 2011 option and bonuses — wound up paying him$112.55 million over eight years.

His agent, Dan Lozano, split off last year from the Beverly Hills Sports Council to form his own agency, and Pujols's deal seemed like an attempt to surpass A-Rod's landmark $252 million contract, agreed to at the same hotel 11 years earlier.

Pujols rejected a multiyear extension last offseason that was said to include a small percentage of the franchise. He cut off negotiations on the first day of spring training.

"This is a footprint contract, because it follows the footprint laid by other great players," said agent Scott Boras, who negotiated Rodriguez's deals. "Putting a hitter like Albert Pujols in a big market, where he can be a DH, I think it's a win-win for everybody."

Pujols's numbers in nearly every major offensive category are on a three-year decline, but he remains among the game's elite players. He hit 37 home runs last season, running his 30-homer streak to 11 years, and batted .299 with 99 runs batted in.

"For 2012, two wilds cards and no Albert Pujols. I'm happy," said Sandy Alderson, general manager of the Cardinals' NL rival New York Mets.

He led the Cardinals' improbable late-season surge and became only the third player to hit three home runs in a World Series game.