Albert Pujols is ending his career with the St. Louis Carndinals. The heavyweight hitter has just signed a $250 million 10-year contract to play with the Los Angeles Angels.

The deal hasn’t officially been announced yet but several sources are reporting that the contract was signed this morning. According to USA Today, the contract will be finalized as soon as Pujols passes his physical.

Pujols’ $250 million contract is the third largest in baseball history. Alex Rodriguez was given the two largest contracts in the history of the MLB. Rodriguez signed with the Texas Rangers in 2000 for $252 million. He then signed with the New York Yankees in 2007 for $275 million.

Team managers from around the league are already sounding off on the new deal.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said:

“Congratulations to Anaheim. It just makes it that much more difficult for everyone in our division. When you hear the dollars and the years, you have to listen. It’s a tremendous deal for him. … Anaheim fans should be happy today.”

Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said:

“Obviously, he’s a very talented player. Anaheim has always been a very good club and they’re going to continue to have one of the better teams in the AL.”

Angels outfielder Vernon Wells tweeted:

“I love this game. We have the Machine!!”

According to USA Today, the Angels ranked 10th in the American League for runs last season. Pujols should add a nice punch to their offensive lineup. During Pujols first 11 seasons he had 445 home runs with a .328 batting average and a .420 on-base percentage. Pujols won the National league’s Rookie of the Year award in 2001, its MVP in 2005, 2008, and 2009, and helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 2006 and 2011.

With Pujols on the roster, the Cardinals made the playoffs 7 times in 11 years. Will Albert Pujols be able to give the Angels the same results?

Albert Pujols Becomes an Angel With 3rd Biggest Contract in MLB History is a post from: The Inquisitr

The offer comes nine months after Pujols rejected his former ball club’s (St. Louis Cardinals) nine-year proposal for about $195 million.

A free agent for the first time in his career, Pujols has received heavy interest from the Marlins over the last few days, but as multiple sports media outlets have pointed out, St. Louis – Pujol’s home since his MLB debut in 2001 – is offering full no-trade protection, whereas the Marlins have not.

“I know the ownership group is putting their best foot forward and trying to do everything that they can to make this possible,” new Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told the Christian Science Monitor, “but I also know it’s a complicated decision on both sides. There’s a lot going on, a lot that I’m not even involved in, but I think it’s clear to say that the St. Louis Cardinals would love to have Albert, and we’ll see how it all plays out.”

Update:The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the Cardinals’ offer could reach $220 million over 10 seasons — one-upping Miami’s offer for the same timespan.

Both teams are said to be pressuring Pujols and agent Dan Lozano to agree to terms as soon as possible, but the magnitude of the decision has the 31-year-old first baseman considering his options.

Those close to the situation expect Pujols will make his decision in less than 24 hours.

Do you think Albert Pujols would fit in well with the recently upgraded Miami Marlins lineup? Is the lure to take his talents to South Beach too enticing to pass up on?

Albert Pujols Headed to the Miami Marlins? is a post from: The Inquisitr

An insider for the Chicago Cubs has revealed that the team has reached out to the agent for Albert Pujols in an attempt to sign the free agent.

Pujols, a nine-time MVP is currently being sought by the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins after he became a free-agent in October.

Cubs management have been busy during the off-season, they are also said to be speaking with Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder after hiring former Brewers coach Dale Sveum as their new manager last week.

With the free agent market remaining relatively thin Fielder and Pujols are two of the biggest names currently available and the Cubs could pull of an amazing off-season feat if they can sign both men to contracts.

Also potentially vying for the rights to sign both players are the Texas Rangers although club president Nolan Ryan recently said the Rangers would most likely stick with first baseman Mitch Moreland. Ryan told reporters:

“Making a seven-or-eight year deal for Fielder or Pujols is not something our organization is prepared to do. I very much expect Mitch Moreland to be our first baseman next year.”

In the meantime Pujols is set to turn 32-years-old in January and had to rebound from a midseason wrist injury this past season, hitting .299 with 37 homers and 99 RBIs.

One decision that could weigh heavily on the all-stars decision is the loss of Cardinals manager Tony La Russa this season, a replacement that insiders say weighted heavily on Pujols who had a great relationship with La Russa.

Do you think the Chicago Cubs have a chance at landing Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder.

[Image via Thomas Barrat / Shutterstock.com]

Chicago Cubs Show Interesting In Signing Albert Pujols is a post from: The Inquisitr

The St. Louis Cardinals got some protection for Super Star Albert Pujols by trading for Of Matt Holliday. This was a vital pice for the Cards as they are locked in a divisional  race with both the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros. Currently The Cardinals lead these two teams by 1.5 games in the National League Central division.

Now let us take a look at the details of this trade:

The Cardinals get Matt Holliday and 1.5 million dollars towards the six million is is owed over the balance of the 2009 season.

The Oakland A’s get third base prospect Brett Wallace, considered to be among the best infield prospects in baseball. Wallace is a pure hitter who can bat for power and for average. Really he is the perfect guy for A’s GM Billy Beane’s “Money Ball” approach to building a team.

The A’s also picked up Minor League pitching prospect Clayton Mortensen, and minor league OF Shane Peterson. While this move may look like a salary dump by Oakland, it really is a move to add a nice piece for the future. While they A’s were busy in the offseason signing guys like Holliday for 13.5 million dollars, players like Wallace more fit in with the culture of that club.

Since Oakland is a “Small Market” team looking to get a new stadium built one would think they would want to keep a few name players to help draw fans, but that is just not how Beane views the game of baseball. He wants guys who hit for average and have a high on base percentage, Wallace is both of those things.

For the Cardinals they get a batter who can hit behind Pujols and hopefully et him a few more quality pitches in each trip to the plate. While this is a good move fro them, it may not be the move the turns them into 2009 divisional Champions, of course that remains to be seen.

The St. Louis Cardinals trade for Holliday is a post from: The Inquisitr

Albert Pujols is unlikely to miss his home town Home Run Derby in St Louis on July 14, but 2008 winner Josh Hamilton will not be there and other participants are showing their thumbs up or down as the big night approaches.

Hamilton of the Texas Rangers broke the home run record at the Derby last year with 28  homers, and although he was eventually beaten in the final by the Minnesota Twins’s Justin Morneau, he would have been a massive drawcard, but MLB.com reports he will not recovers from surgery on a torn abdominal muscle in time.

Pujols’ public comments on his Derby participation, which is determined by fan vote but can be refused by players who need a rest, especially if they are playing in the All-Star game the next day, were non-committal. Pujols won the National League fan vote, as he did for the All-Star team.

Also pouring cold water on their chances to front up on the night were Morneau, Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, Victor Martinez of the Cleveland Indians,  Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins and Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees. American League fan vote winner Evan Longoria has also made comments about not wanting to hit.

Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies, who came second to Pujols in the NL fan vote, was one of a number of players who confirmed their participation, although official invitations have yet to be confirmed. Russell Branyan of the Seattle Mariners, Carlos Pena and Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brandon Inge of the Detroit Tigers, Prince Fielder of the Brewers, Joe Mauer of the Twins, Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles, and Houston Astros team mates Hunter Pence and Miguel Tejada all expressed interest if asked.

Home Run Derby participants line up for 2009 is a post from: The Inquisitr