Deidre Pujols Says St. Louis Cardinals Fans Deceived

He Left

Albert Pujols wife, Deidre, says that St. Louis Cardinals fans “have been deceived” by published reports detailing the financial commitment the ballclub was willing to make to its franchise player. Pujols eventually signed a 10-year, $254 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, some $44 million above what the Cardinals were willing to offer.

Deidre Pujols says it was more significant than that, and that her husband was stung by the fact they, at least initially, were only willing to guarantee five years of a contract.

As she put it to the “Greg and Sandi Show” on 99.1 FM in St. Louis:

“The offers that people have seen on television, I’m going to tell you what …. had that offer been the one that was given to us, with guarantee, we would have a bird on the bat. … What I’m saying is it wasn’t a guaranteed situation. When you have somebody say, ‘We want you to be a Cardinal for life’ and only offer you a five-year deal … it kind of confused us. … Well, we got over that insult and felt like Albert had given so much of himself to baseball and into the community that he at least deserved the opportunity to have real life-long — you know, I tell you what — we didn’t want to go through this again. Free agency, it’s stressful.”

Pujols became a free agent,the Cardinals initial offer was five years guaranteed for $130 million, far less than the roughly $198 million they offered Pujols in spring training. Their ultimate 10-year, $210 million offer deferred a significant portion of salary without interest.