Albert Pujols Extension Talks Faltering: Will Cleveland Indians Pursue Pujols in 2012?

Published: 7^th Feb 11 7:45 am

Lewie Pollis
Cleveland Indians Featured Columnist

3 Rants

Heading into the offseason, it seemed that both the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols were optimistic about working out a contract extension this winter. And yet, with just 11 days until Pujols’ self-imposed deadline of the start of Spring Training, the two sides are reportedly “nowhere close” to a deal. As someone who is paid to write about the Cleveland Indians, it is my obligatory duty to ask: Is there any way he winds up with the Tribe in 2012?

No, Cleveland isn’t exactly in the market for a first baseman. Matt LaPorta hasn’t shown much yet, but at 26, he’s not a bust yet. The Indians still see him as their first baseman of the future, and he’s cost-controlled through 2015. He’ll get every chance to show his stuff in 2011, and he could realize his once-storied potential this year.

But even if LaPorta exceeds everyone’s wildest dreams for him, there will always be room on any MLB team for Albert Pujols. Even assuming Travis Hafner is truly untradeable and the DH spot remains clogged, LaPorta could shift back to left field—if he’s going to smash 40 homers a year and OPS over a thousand, his bat will make up for any defensive deficiencies the Indians would suffer with him patrolling the big green. And that’s if he becomes a star; if LaPorta busts, are the Indians really going to try to compete with him as their regular first-sacker?

Of course, I don’t think anyone really thinks LaPorta’s presence is the biggest obstacle to Pujols coming to Cleveland. The real problem will be money. I have no idea if the Dolans would open up their wallets for Pujols, but precedent suggests they might be willing to increase payroll. The Indians’ payroll should come in at around $40 million this year, but as recently as 2009, it was over $81 million. With Hafner and Grady Sizemore coming off the books after 2012, even at $30 million a year, Pujols wouldn’t necessarily push the budget past 2009 levels. Plus, the Tribe will supposedly be contending by then, in which case ownership would almost certainly be willing to spend more.

Would the Indians outbid the competition? Probably not. The Angels, Cubs, Dodgers, Mets, Rangers, Yankees, and Red Sox have all been connected to “The Machine” as rumors about next winter begin. And, of course, the Cardinals won’t let their franchise player leave without a fight.

But the Indians don’t need to sign Pujols to help the franchise. They just need to try.

The Cleveland fanbase is depressed by years of watching star players leaving for greener (green meaning money, of course) pastures via free agency, or else preemptively traded before they got the chance to leave the team via the free market: Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia, Victor Martinez, Casey Blake, Jake Westbrook, and Jhonny Peralta, just to name a few—and that’s not counting LeBron James.

A well-publicized, competitive play for Pujols would do wonders to reenergize a fanbase that is desperate for a reason to be optimistic. Beyond the pure excitement Indians fans would feel when dreaming about Prince Albert launching homers out of Progressive Field, it would create an incredible amount of goodwill. Going after the best player in the game would show that Cleveland really does plan to win, and that the Dolans are willing to spend to make the Tribe relevant again.

Consider the Washington Nationals. They overpaid for Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche, plus they made plays for Cliff Lee, Zack Greinke, Javier Vazquez, Carl Pavano, Brandon Webb, and even inquired about the Indians’ Grady Sizemore and Fausto Carmona. I don’t think anyone seriously expects the Nats to make the playoffs this year—it’s not out of the question, but at best they look the third-best team in the NL East—but if I were a Washington fan, I would be ecstatic about the team’s offseason activity. Even if success doesn’t come immediately, the Nationals’ spendthrift attitude this winter shows that the front office is committed to winning. That would be enough to get me to the ballpark.

I never say never, but unfortunately, I can’t imagine Pujols landing in Cleveland next year. But as the Indians consider the free agent market eight months from now, they should remember that it’s the thought that counts.
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