In a very, very surprising move Thursday, ESPN has announced that the Los Angeles Angels have signed first baseman Albert Pujols and starting left-handed pitcher C.J. Wilson. Pujols will receive a ten-year deal worth $254 million, while Wilson will get a five-year deal worth approximately $77.5 million.
This comes as a humongous surprise, as the Angels really hadn't been in the Pujols sweepstakes until 48 hours ago. The Marlins seemed to be the front runners for Pujols' services until they backed out yesterday after signing pitcher Mark Buehrle to a contract. Pujols' former team, the St. Louis Cardinals, also had an offer on the table, somewhere in the range of a ten-year deal worth $220 million, but it wasn't good enough for Pujols to return to the team for a twelfth season.
Pujols' contract also includes a no-trade clause, which he had been seeking and it could have been the turning point for Pujols, as the Marlins were not offering him a no-trade clause.
Pujols' deal is the third-largest contract in MLB history, only behind Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $252 million deal he signed with the Rangers before the 2001 season and Rodriguez's ten-year, $275 million contract he signed with the Yankees prior to the 2008 season.
The Cardinals' staff was hoping that Pujols would return to the only team he has ever played for and they wanted to talk to Pujols' agent before they left to head back to St. Louis. Their last offer was a nine-year deal worth a little under $200 million, which would have made the three-time MVP the fourth-highest paid first baseman in baseball. But with the contract the Angels gave him, he is the highest-paid first baseman. And the Angels are glad they were able to come to an agreement.According to a report, Pujols, who led the Cardinals to two World Series titles over his 11-year career, and the Cardinals were farther apart on the negotiations than originally announced.
Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr., said of Pujols' departure, "We are disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement to keep Albert Pujols in St. Louis. Albert is a great champion and we will always be thankful for his many achievements in a Cardinals uniform, as well as his contributions to the St. Louis community. I have the highest regard for Albert both personally and professionally, and appreciate his direct involvement in this process. 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."
Last season, Pujols batted .299, while blasting 37 home runs and driving in 99 runs -- it was also the only season in his 11-year career that he didn't have 100 runs batted in or have a .300 batting average. However, the 31-year-old did miss some time in the middle of the season because of an arm injury.
Pujols, arguably the best player over the last decade, is a career .328 hitter and has belted 445 home runs, while driving in 1,329 runs over his astounding career.
After the announcement of signing the three-time MVP, the Angels also announced that they had signed left-handed pitcher C.J. Wilson, who has helped lead the Rangers to back-to-back American League titles.
The deal is for six years and is worth around $77.5 million. Wilson had been recently courted by the Miami Marlins, along with the Texas Rangers, now his former team.
Last year, Wilson posted a 16-7 record with a 2.94 ERA and was elected to his first All-Star team. He also made a league-high 34 starts, while just becoming a starting pitcher for a second season. He had spent the previous five seasons coming out of the bullpen.
Wilson had received a six-year deal from the Marlins and according to Wilson, his former team had no chance at re-signing him once the Marlins made their offer. He also said that he took less money to sign with the Angels, mainly because of their acquisition of Pujols.
In an interview with ESPN at the baseball winter meetings, Wilson said, "It's crazy, obviously, with Albert going over there. It's a big swing of the balance of power in the West. I thought I was going to make a little bit of difference and he's obviously going to make a huge one. I mean, nobody saw that coming."
The pitcher will go to perhaps the Rangers' main rival and it may just make the Angels the favorites in the AL West.
According to Wilson's agent, Bob Garber, they were surprised at the Rangers' offer, but apparently, it was less than half of what the Angels offered him. Wilson said of the meeting, "I was under the impression they were going to make a more serious run at me. The length of contract wasn't there. The money wasn't there."
Wilson also lives just 15 minutes away from the Angels' ballpark, which definitely factored in his decision to sign with the Angels.
"Being close to home in Anaheim, that was really the only factor that let me make an emotional decision instead of a financial decision," Wilson proclaimed.
Despite an ugly postseason, in which he became the first pitcher in history to lose a game in the division series, championship series and the World Series in the same postseason, Wilson is still a great pitcher and was the most coveted pitcher in this year's free agency class.
The Angels won the AL West from 2007-09, while the Rangers have been the division winner the past two seasons. With the signings of Pujols and Wilson, it could very well switch back to the Angels, who are now the favorites to win the 2012 World Series.
