Albert Pujols Didn't Need Deadline to Avoid Contract 'Distractions'

JUPITER, Fla. -- Inside the Cardinals clubhouse, they marvel at Albert Pujols' focus and determination.

"That's the reason he is what he is," former teammate John Smoltz said Thursday.

Manager Tony La Russa said Pujols is "tied for first with the all-timers" in his ability to avoid so-called distractions.

"This guy (has) amazing ability to concentrate," La Russa said, "and just be totally relentless in his preparation and the way he competes.

"It's a no-brainer to say that he will not be distracted."

So why did Pujols, who on Thursday addressed his lack of a contract extension beyond this season, need to cut off talks Wednesday?

He insisted he won't re-open talks during the season, to which I asked, Why?

"Why? Look at this," Pujols said, referring to 30 or so media members surrounding him as he discussed his situation for about 25 minutes.

"This is going to be a distraction all year. Come on, man. It's not rocket science. ... You don't want to bring this in spring training and then during the season. It's a zoo. And I don't think my teammates deserve this. I have too much respect for my team. And that's the way it goes."

Pujols isn't the first player to set a spring training or Opening Day deadline for a contract extension, and every time it happens, the player plays the distraction card.

To which I say: Really?

So there's no way a major leaguer can play baseball effectively while his agent and his team are working out a new deal? As opposed to not having his long-term status set? And his play will suffer because the media will ask him for updates?

Please.

The way Pujols spins it, any inquiries from the media won't distract him, but he's worried about his teammates.

"It's OK to come and throw the question at me and (I) reject it," said Pujols, who excels at doing just that, "but don't go to my teammates and try to put them on the spot."

I can accept that Pujols really believed that setting a February deadline would make it easier for the Cardinals to deal with the season at hand. Even so, the "distraction" reasoning is a misguided attempt to make the media part of the story -- a meme Pujols didn't create, just repeated.

His manager doesn't seem to buy into it.

"Every year there's a potential for more distractions," La Russa said Wednesday, "and they come in many forms. You give in to those distractions, you're not as good a team. You're not as good a player, coach, manager. One of the challenges is to deal with the concentration part of it and pay attention to what we're all here to do, which is our team against the other team.

"I've never been in a situation like this before, but I've been (getting) attention since my rookie year, since I got to the big leagues. Pressure, pressure and pressure. And I've proved to people I put that in the past. ... I just flip that page and concentrate."
-- Albert Pujols "Just don't think about it. Just refuse to think about it. If we're any good, that's what we'll do. If we give into it, then we're not going to be good enough. ... You can do it. It can be done. It happens all the time."

In Pujols' case, this week's deadline now ensures that he will go all season without a contract for 2012 -- meaning the questions about his future will be riding shotgun with the Cardinals all year whether he wants it or not.

What's a bigger distraction, "Any progress in contract talks?" or "How do you feel about playing in Chicago/Anaheim/Boston/Texas/New York?"

Whether or not the deadline accomplishes anything in terms of "distractions," it does give Puols a better idea of what the team is willing to do (heck, maybe that was the intent of the deadline).

This week's non-events leave serious doubt as to whether the Cardinals actually want to spend something close to market value to keep Pujols. They gave Matt Holliday a seven-year, $120 million deal after the 2009 season and now claim they can't commit too much of their payroll to Pujols.

Despite chairman Bill DeWitt Jr.'s assertion the team made "every effort" to work out an extension, the Cardinals admitted they made just one offer, in early January. Pujols said the media is "way off on the numbers you've thrown out there," but reading between the lines, it seems that St. Louis would take him back only at a hometown discount -- counting on his love for the city and the presence of established first basemen with the Yankees, Phillies and Red Sox to get them a cut rate.

"They don't have to do anything," Pujols said of the Cardinals. "It's their money. It's Mr. DeWitt's decision."

While Pujols said, "I want to be a Cardinal forever," there's no indication that if the best player in the game is determined to get the best contract in the game that he will get it from the Cardinals. ("If they want to call me greedy," Pujols said of the fans, "they don't know who I am.")

Pujols said he is not frustrated, called everything so far "part of negotiations" and holds out hope he can reach a deal with St. Louis after the season. But it seems inevitable he at least tests free agency, making this a "walk year."

"I'm more locked in this year than ever," Pujols said.

"I've never been in a situation like this before, but I've been (getting) attention since my rookie year, since I got to the big leagues. Pressure, pressure and pressure. And I've proved to people I put that in the past. ... I just flip that page and concentrate."

So take the guy who has more runs scored, more doubles and the highest slugging percentage over the past 10 years of any active player and add extra motivation.

La Russa said when he welcomed Pujols to camp Thursday, he told Pujols, "Our staff's been bragging, if there's a guy that can handle distractions over the years and go about this business over the years, it's you."

Pujols' reply, according to La Russa: "Watch me."

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Steve Phillips examines both sides of the Albert Pujols story. Click to watch: