All posts by Brian Walton

Brian Walton runs The Cardinal Nation, covering the St. Louis Cardinals and minor league system.

Build your winning bid for Albert Pujols

Readers can select the components of their best contract offer to soon-to-be free agent Albert Pujols.

Let’s fast-forward to the fall of 2011. St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has reached the free market as a free agent. He is looking for a new contract that begins with his age 32 season in 2012.

You have been charged by Cardinals ownership to put together your last shot at securing Pujols’ future services. Your bid needs to be aggressive enough to get your man but not so large that it hamstrings the remainder of your operation for years to come.

Your challenge is to assemble that winning offer by making the selections from the menus below.

Note: Please ensure you scan all the questions before you begin voting as your earlier answers may be affected by the later selections and vice-versa.

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If there are any other terms you favor, please note them in the comments section below.

I will ensure this thread is remembered come fall and winter and we can look back to see how well we did in assembling a winning bid.

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Cardinals World Series odds slipping

Though I am a very casual bettor at best, as in two lottery tickets in a big year, I do keep an eye on what the oddsmakers are reflecting about the upcoming baseball season. It is also worthwhile to see change over time registered by those willing to invest their cash as it represents another measure of reaction to baseball events occurring around us.

Betting site thespread.com posts the 2011 World Series odds of all 30 teams. What makes their listing most interesting is they compare the current odds to what the opening odds were. While the site doesn’t indicate the date on which bets were first taken, it may have been shortly after the conclusion of the 2010 Series.

At opening, the St. Louis Cardinals were at 14/1, tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for fifth. Ahead of them were the usual suspects: the New York Yankees (4/1), Philadelphia Phillies (6/1), Boston Red Sox (10/1) and the World Series champion San Francisco Giants (10/1).

Since then, the Cardinals apparently were not as popular as expected among bettors as one is now able to secure 20/1 odds on them winning the 2011 Series. St. Louis is tied for sixth with the Rays and Minnesota Twins.

Top teams whose odds have trended in the other direction include the Phils (from 6/1 to a current-MLB best 13/4) and Red Sox (from 10/1 to 4/1).

What might have driven this change in the oddsmakers’ line on the 2011 Cardinals?

First of all, perhaps the initial placement of 14/1 was just too aggressive and didn’t attract enough play.

Another possibility is that their opponents were viewed to have improved more than they. The additions of Cliff Lee by the Phillies and Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford in Boston might help explain the shift in odds for those two front-running clubs.

Closer to home, the Milwaukee Brewers shot up from 65/1 to 25/1. The acquisitions of Zack Greinke and Shawn Marcum had to be a major driver. While the Cincinnati Reds stood relatively pat over the winter, their odds have eroded slightly from 20/1 to 25/1.

One other logical factor would be a view that the Cardinals themselves are considered less competitive today than earlier in the off-season. At first blush that would seem odd as their recent personnel changes are generally considered to be no worse than neutral and the club begins camp with an almost entirely healthy roster.

So what else might be behind it? Let’s see, what is the biggest story surrounding the 2011 Cardinals?

Might Albert Pujols’ contract situation and the resulting concerns about ongoing in-season distractions and their potential impact on the club’s on-field results be influencing the bettors?

Only those willing to lay down their money know for sure.

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Pujols and the 2004 wayback machine

When referring back to the February 2004 ESPN article in which I was credited for breaking the story of Albert Pujols previous contract, discussed here on Friday, I noticed the upper right section of the ESPN webpage remained just as it was seven years ago.

The “Also See” area lists these three articles:

Each has interest to me in a nostalgic way.

The “real age” article scolded Pujols if he was taking money under false pretenses. This storyline has dogged the first baseman off and on over his entire career, just as have unfounded rumors of use of performance enhancing drugs.

Suspicion of Pujols having falsified his age was broached in 2003, just as it was picked at recently by another ESPN writer, Rob Neyer. Like all those before him, Neyer, who days ago left the worldwide leader, had absolutely nothing of substance to back up his insinuations.

With the size of the target on Pujols’ back, if there was dirt in his past to unearth, I truly believe someone would have done it by now. In today’s media world, the only thing better than floating anonymous rumors about big game is actually taking down the beast.

The “long-term contract” story came out of the 2004 Cardinals Winter Warm-Up and includes what I believe is one of Pujols’ two most famous lines. It was spoken by Albert in reply to a question as to whether or not he would offer the Cardinals a hometown discount.

“What do you mean? This is business. There’s no break here.”

What is Pujols’ other memorable line, you ask? It was from the spring of 2009, words I highlighted just a few days ago right here at The Cardinal Nation Blog.

“It’s not about the money. I already got my money. It’s about winning and that’s it.”

The contrast between the two is most striking. The first was spoken when it was contract time. The second quote was made three years before Pujols’ current deal is to run out.

The third ESPN article, from October 2003, highlights remarks from Sammy Sosa, who like Pujols is a native of the Dominican Republic. The Cubs star asserted that the Cardinal, not Barry Bonds, deserved the 2003 National League Most Valuable Player award. Bonds had taken 28 of 32 first-place votes, soundly defeating Pujols, 426-303. Albert had yet to win his first of now-three MVPs.

Sosa’s comments caused ill will from San Francisco at the time, yet he had a point. Pujols’ outpointed Bonds in batting average by .018 and sported a whopping 34 RBI edge over the Giants’ slugger that season.

In 2003, Bonds did edge Pujols in home runs, though a marginal difference at 45 to 43. Sosa had 40 long balls that season and was celebrated for having become the first Hispanic player to reach 500 career home runs. Sosa finished at 609, seventh all-time, while Pujols currently sits in 45th with 408 home runs.

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Seven years ago today: Announcing Pujols’ new contract

On February 18, 2004, I broke the story of an event that was unprecedented in Major League Baseball. Albert Pujols agreed to terms on a seven-year, $100 million contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals that would expand to $111 million if the eighth year option was picked up by the club.

It was a different world in 2003-04, a post-Mark McGwire period in which Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa were the reigning kings of MLB. Yet Pujols was finally elbowing his way up to the summit. The first baseman earned his first National League batting title in 2003, finishing second to Bonds in the Most Valuable Player vote and was preparing to cash in.

After making $900,000 that season, a record for a third-year player, Pujols had become arbitration eligible for the first time. As the Cardinals’ 2004 training camp prepared to open, he and the club were heading toward a showdown – an arbitration hearing that might have brought him a then-record haul for a fourth-year player.

Pujols had formally requested $10.5 million, while the Cardinals were offering $7 million. Rumors at the time included the player having turned down a five-year, $55 million offer from the club prior to the filing.

Instead of arguing their cases in front of an arbitration panel, the two sides agreed to a contract that was unheard-of at the time. The new deal would not only buy up Pujols’ three arbitration-eligible seasons, but his next four and potentially five free agent-eligible years as well.

It began a practice that is now common with emerging stars – a long-term contract that provides financial security very early in the player’s career in return for a commitment to remain with the team well into his free agent-eligible years. The annual value of such a deal is typically more player-friendly in the initial years but becomes more advantageous to the club in the later seasons – assuming the youngster continues to produce, of course.

Some believe the Cardinals “owe” Pujols in his next contract because that 2004 deal has paid him under market value in recent seasons. I wonder if those same individuals if put in Pujols’ shoes would have given the money back had he been unable to perform as expected? I think we know the answer.

For his part, Pujols realized both sides benefited from the contract and held no bad feelings about it. As recently as two springs ago, he said this:

“When I signed my contract I was really happy with what I got.”

On February 18, 2004, I learned that the two sides had come to agreement before it had appeared elsewhere. That evening, I posted an article that included the basic years and money at The Birdhouse, the predecessor of The Cardinal Nation on Scout.com. I then gave a heads-up to Jayson Stark of ESPN, who independently verified my story and took it to the national audience the next day. The press conference pictured above was held on the 20th at the Cardinals complex in Jupiter, Fla.

As the entire baseball world knows, seven years later, here on February 18, 2011, there is no new Pujols contract to announce.

That eighth-year option which seemed almost a footnote in 2004 has now become all-important. It is the only thread that formally binds the now-31-year-old to his only major league home. It will hold for at least one more summer before Pujols reaches free agency for the first time in his professional career.

Likely someone else will break the news of Pujols’ next contract, but certainly Cardinals fans hope the message will again originate from someone who covers this team and not another.

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Pujols and the money: What to believe?

As the contract negotiating deadline passed on Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Pujols’ agent Dan Lozano and the player himself each made prepared statements to the media.

What we know: The Cardinals stated one official offer was made in early January, while both sides continued to discuss and negotiate aspects of the deal. Lozano confirmed, stating the two sides exchanged proposals but could not come to agreement.

The concept of Pujols gaining an ownership share of the team was discussed at some point. That could certainly affect the standard years and dollars equation most use to assess a contract. The two sides agreed to not talk on the subject again until after the season. In the meantime, Pujols asked to left alone to concentrate on baseball.

What we don’t know: Pretty much everything else.

Beyond the few items above, which we can pretty assuredly call facts, the vast majority of the remainder about the situation which has been written and printed is based on some level of rumor or speculation.

As the negotiating parties scramble to take the high ground in the battle for public opinion and the media rush to appear to be the most wired with inside information, the inevitable leaks have sprung. I have chosen a few which I believe are representative.

Lozano selected a national concern, USAToday, to receive his statement on Wednesday morning and did the same with Pujols’ prepared remarks that evening. Nothing of this nature occurs by accident. My guess is that Team Pujols felt the the widest coverage would be achieved by going national.

SI.com’s Jon Heyman offers his view of the money while admitting the facts are not known.

“The Cardinals made what they consider a great effort, and indications are that they showed a willingness to go to seven or eight years, with the eight-year deal being for a lower average annual value, maybe $25 million for eight and $28 million for seven, or something along those lines (though those numbers couldn’t be absolutely confirmed).

“But word is, Pujols sought a 10-year deal for Alex Rodriguez money, or even above that, meaning at least $275 million. Sources tell SI.com Lozano also broached the subject of an ownership stake in the team, too.”

Another widely-known national writer is Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, who pegs the Cardinals’ offer at a much lower amount than Heyman and many expected.

“The range of such an offer likely was between $19 million and $21 million per season. The exact length of the proposal is not known. But at the high end, it would have translated to eight years, $168 million, nine years, $189 million or 10 years, $210 million.”

Those attaching a high level of importance to Rosenthal’s report likely correspond with those taking Pujols’ side in the talks, while Heyman’s rumor would seem to more support ownership having negotiated in good faith.

Shifting to the local perspective, on Wednesday afternoon, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz offered his view of what might be behind the news such as what Rosenthal reported, tweeting this:

“Interesting development, the leaking of supposedly “lowball” STL offer to Pujols to embarrass DeWitt-Mozeliak.”

Still, the columnist acknowledged public opinion could turn against the club if those rumors are proven to be correct.

“If leaks are accurate, Cards will be ripped,” Miklasz tweeted.

Mikasz went on to wonder aloud if the Cardinals erred in taking a “diplomatic tone” with the media and noted “lots of numbers are being tossed around in frantic online competition to be ‘first.’ So I don’t know what to believe, except for @JoeStrauss, who has been consistently accurate and on point.”

He is referring to his colleague, Post-Dispatch beat writer Joe Strauss, who had reported the following Wednesday morning.

“Before Tuesday, the Cardinals had refused to guarantee more than seven years to a player who will turn 32 before playing his first game under its term, but they may offer some sort of modification before the deadline.

“As of Tuesday night, however, the club continued to weigh whether to guarantee an eighth year or to raise the average annual value within a shorter structure.

“The Cardinals’ initial proposal failed to reach the $25 million average that the Philadelphia Phillies gave first baseman Ryan Howard last April in a five-year extension.

“The Cardinals subsequently submitted a formal bid that apparently fell short of a $30 million per season average and was rejected.”

By that evening, Strauss had a different view.

“Sources familiar with the process described the package’s total value at more than $200 million spread across a nine- or 10-year base. Once rejected, the deal took several other forms that involved shifting years and salary and apparently even an equity stake in the team.”

Strauss noted the Rosenthal annual values as well as another unnamed report without passing judgment as to their accuracy.

I share these examples to illustrate not only are the stories somewhat fluid, but there is considerable vagueness in what is being reported. That is the nature of the beast, as rumor reporting is always a challenge, no matter who is doing it. Yet those readers who attach strong positions to information written in the shifting sand may end up being disappointed.

In fact, when meeting with the media upon his arrival at Cardinals camp on Wednesday, Pujols said this about his contract numbers as told to B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest:

“That’s so funny because me and my agent (Dan Lozano) talked every other day about you guys throwing numbers out there,” Pujols said. ” ‘Assuming the Cardinals offered this,’ and ‘Albert is asking for 10 years,’ and we just laughed about it. I’m pretty sure the Cardinals are, too, because you guys don’t have any clue. You guys are way off on the numbers . . . you are throwing out there.”

Of course, no one was expecting Pujols to verify or even clarify any of the rumors.

Finally, remember these are just numbers at a point in time. Pujols almost certainly will not agree to a new contract for at least nine more months and likely longer.

A lot can change in the interim. In fact, everything can and probably will.

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Walton on FOX Sports Radio Network Thursday morning

On Thursday at 8:05 A.M. Eastern/7:05 A.M. Central, I will be joining the Zakk and Jack morning drive show nationally broadcast on the FOX Sports Radio Network. Co-hosts are Dominic Zaccagnini and former NFL quarterback Jack Trudeau.

Our subject will be Albert Pujols, of course.

You can listen on your local FOX Sports Radio affiliate or via live streaming at FOXSports.com.

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Pujols’ contract remarks from spring 2009 and 2010

What did St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols say about his contract in spring training during the most recent two springs?

With no clear indications that St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols will speak directly with the press about his contract upon his expected Thursday arrival at spring training camp, I thought it appropriate to share a subset of the first baseman’s remarks from the last two springs.

In 2009, it was not about the money. It was about having a winning team around him. By the next spring, Pujols still wanted to stay with St. Louis, but acknowledged he was not in control of the entire situation.

The following was reported by MLB.com’s Matthew Leach on February 15, 2009. Emphasis is mine.

“Do I want to be in St. Louis forever? Of course,” Pujols said.  “…People from other teams want to play in St. Louis and they’re jealous that we’re in St. Louis because the fans are unbelievable. So why would you want to leave a place like St. Louis to go somewhere else and make $3 or $4 more million a year? It’s not about the money. I already got my money. It’s about winning and that’s it.”

“When that time comes, then we’re going to figure it out,” he said. “And I told you, I’m not going to lie to you, it’s not about the money all the time. It’s about being in a place to win and being in a position to win. If the Cardinals are willing to do that and put a team every year like they have, I’m going to try to work everything out to stay in this town. But if they’re not on the same page of bringing championship caliber to play every year, then it’s time for me to go somewhere else. Where? Somewhere else that I can win.”

The AP’s summary of the same spring 2009 discussion included Pujols’ appreciation of his current eight-year, $111 million contract, signed in early 2004.

“When I signed my contract I was really happy with what I got. When that time comes (for another contract) then we’re going to figure it out,” Pujols said.

Of course, during the ensuing 12 months, the Cardinals not only traded three top prospects for Matt Holliday, they re-signed the outfielder to a club-record seven-year, $120 million contract after he went into free agency. In the process, team competitiveness was apparently taken off the table.

Talking with Bernie Miklasz of the Post-Dispatch on February 27, 2010, Pujols appeared to have reduced his optimism level. While the player made it clear he wanted to remain with St. Louis, he also pointed out that he was not in total control of the situation.

“People in St. Louis and our fans around the country know where I want to be. And that’s St. Louis. There’s no city like St. Louis to play baseball. And the way the city has embraced me, and my family and our charitable foundation has been unbelievable. I am blessed. So why would I want to go anywhere else?

“I appreciate being a Cardinal. I appreciate wearing this uniform. I appreciate being part of the legacy over the last nine years and I want to continue to do that. I appreciate being around the Hall of Famers. I don’t think there’s many organizations who have that. I think we have the most (living) Hall of Famers, and they come around. You see Stan Musial, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, Red Schoendienst all the time. They spend time with us. You appreciate talking baseball with all of those guys. So why would I want to go anywhere?

“Do I want to do this right now and take care of this so we don’t need to worry about it? Of course. If it happens, it happens. But there are some things I am able to control and there are other things that are out of my hands that I can’t control. And that’s the truth.”

Whether that final reference was to Cardinals ownership or God or both is unclear. Earlier in the process, Pujols commented his future was in God’s hands, but recent remarks have not focused on that factor.

What will Pujols say this week, if anything?

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Cardinals Spring Training Updates on FOXSportsMidwest.com

On a regular basis during spring training, I will be posting links to FoxSportsMidwest.com’s daily coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals in a special thread pinned to the top of The Cardinal Nation message board.

The first day’s example is also included here so you can see the wealth of information available daily. Also, check their site regularly for up-to-the minute news from beat writer B.J. Rains and the rest of the FOX Sports Midwest crew.

Monday, Feb. 14 Cardinals Spring Training Updates on FOXSportsMidwest.com

Today’s news at https://www.foxsportsmidwest.com/pages/cardinals_spring_training/0 (https://bit.ly/efnUvB)

  • Cardinals unsure of Edmonds‘ availability
  • Pujols deadline set for noon eastern time on Wednesday
  • Backup catcher Laird excited to be with Cardinals

Video

News

Fun stuff

  • Jim Hayes talks to Jason Motte about Motte’s recent wedding and mildly offends Motte in the process: https://bit.ly/hpNsw3
  • How Ryan Franklin’s goatee informed his decision to continue pitching: https://bit.ly/fKBG8b
  • Kyle Lohse talks about dealing with the perceived distractions of the Pujols negotiations: https://bit.ly/ie986q

Photo gallery

Web: https://FOXSportsMidwest.com
Twitter: @FOX_Sports_MW
Facebook: Facebook.com/FOXSportsMidwest

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Pujols’ shadow means 10 more months of winter

As most Americans know, Groundhog Day is a long-standing national tradition which began back in the 18th Century with its roots in ancient Europe. If upon emerging from his burrow on February 2, the groundhog sees its shadow, six more weeks of winter will follow.

In the case of Albert Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinals first baseman has also emerged from a winter that for the most part kept him out of the spotlight. That has changed with his impending arrival in spring training camp and the expiration of his self-imposed negotiating window.

It seems that when Pujols saw his shadow this month, the conclusion to be drawn is that ten months of hard winter is ahead.

That is the minimum time I estimate it will take for the free agent to be to test the market and ultimately make his decision where to play baseball starting in 2012.

Without rehashing current events in detail, suffice to say that the player and his team appear to be far enough apart in their contract negotiations that a deal will not be completed any time soon. An open question is how chilly the relationship between the two parties may become over the upcoming months.

Pujols has been clear that he does not want to discuss contractual matters while focusing on playing baseball. Of all the related story lines, this is the one I most suspect will be followed. I predict the Cardinals will respect Pujols’ wishes accordingly.

Following that scenario, the next window and last exclusive period for the Cardinals to talk money would be between the end of their season and five days following the conclusion of the World Series. While the two sides could come to an agreement then, I think it is highly unlikely. Having gone that far, Pujols would be expected take the final step to determine what he is truly worth.

At that point, he would hit the open market.

Pujols has said in the past he does not fear free agency and why should he? The Cardinals seem prepared to wait and react to what Pujols can find elsewhere.

The free agent mating process could easily take several months and will likely tie up the high end of MLB’s free agent market this coming off-season. Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder may have to wait until Pujols’ fate is decided but should benefit from being the consolation prize.

Based on a typical winter, it will likely stretch until December and perhaps into January for the Pujols saga to play out. This year’s premier free agent, Cliff Lee, agreed to terms with Philadelphia on December 14. The winter prior, Matt Holliday did not decide to return to the Cardinals until January 5.

The bottom line is that it appears Pujols’ considerable shadow will cover most if not all of the entire remaining 2011 calendar year. How the player himself and his team react throughout the season has become the next major unknown.

In parallel to the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day, the same questions will be asked every day for months, so we may as well get used to it.

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Stacking Pujols up against other career Cardinals

Some assessments of the contract situation between Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals suggest the team has lost all negotiating leverage with the player. As such, the club must eventually pay whatever the player demands to keep him, goes this line of thinking.

Such a narrow view does not take into account a number of important counterbalances, including one that may hold a more lasting value for Pujols than temporarily becoming baseball’s highest-paid player.

I am referring to Pujols’ quest to become a career-long franchise icon, the likes of which has not been seen in St. Louis since Stan Musial.

Other than perhaps Pujols himself, no one knows the relative importance of these two factors – maximizing money and years in his next contract versus his attempt to eventually replace Musial as being accepted as the greatest Cardinal ever – or at least earn a spot next to Stan the Man on the top pedestal.

As Pujols’ self-imposed Wednesday contract negotiating deadline nears, some who are attuned to pulse of the fan as measured by message board posts and radio call-in shows are sensing a turn of opinion in support of the position of the Cardinals over their first baseman. Of course, these opinions have been set without any substantive knowledge of the contract parameters being discussed.

If Pujols eventually decides to leave St. Louis behind, his only home as a major leaguer, he would forfeit his place on the following top 15 list. It is a unique group of players, pulled by researcher Tom Orf.

The following are those men who have played the most games as a Cardinal without having appeared in even one game as a major leaguer while wearing another uniform.

Most games played, entire career with St. Louis Cardinals

Rank Player Games Start Year End Year Age
1 Stan Musial 3026 1941 1963 20-42
2 Albert Pujols 1558 2001 2010* 21-30
3 Terry Moore 1298 1935 1948 23-36
4 Pepper Martin 1189 1928 1944 24-40
5 Tom Pagnozzi 927 1987 1998 24-35
6 Whitey Kurowski 916 1941 1949 23-31
7 Mike Shannon 882 1962 1970 22-30
8 Yadier Molina 805 2004 2010* 21-27
9 Ray Blades 767 1922 1932 25-35
10 Ernie Orsatti 701 1927 1935 24-32
11 Bob Gibson 596 1959 1975 23-39
12 Skip Schumaker 586 2005 2010* 25-30
13 Rube Ellis 555 1909 1912 23-26
14 Specs Toporcer 546 1921 1928 22-29
15 Austin McHenry 543 1918 1922 22-26
* current

Not surprisingly, Pujols is currently second, but a very distant second. To put his challenge into context, even if he could maintain a 150-game per season pace, it would take Pujols another complete decade to pass Musial. In contract terms, it would require nine more years with the club after his existing commitment expires.

If achieved, Albert would be 41 years old at the time. Note that there is no way to speed up ones’ pace in ascending this list. Growing career games played requires both durability and good fortune. Avoiding wars would help, too.

A pair of Musial’s former teammates, centerfielder Terry Moore and outfielder/third baseman Pepper Martin, each of whose service time with St. Louis was interrupted by World War II, are the only two other lifetime Cardinals with over 1,000 career games played. Having missed three seasons each, they would both still likely be ahead of Pujols had they been able to play contiguously.

By definition, this list is skewed toward everyday position players and away from those that appear less frequently, specifically pitchers. As such, Bob Gibson is the only hurler in the top 15, ranked at number 11 in exclusive career games played despite 17 years of service with the club.

Along with Pujols, two other current Cardinals are among the top 15. Yadier Molina is eighth and should pass the top catcher on the list, Tom Pagnozzi, during the 2011 season. Second baseman Skip Schumaker is 12th. Of course, Molina and Schumaker would disappear from this list if they were to eventually join another organization.

Same for Pujols, something that most would prefer does not happen.

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Stand for Stan Day remembered

With the White House ceremony to award St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial the Presidential Medal of Freedom scheduled this coming Tuesday, February 15, the club released a number of photographs in support of the event.

To share here, I selected a few of them from Stand for Stan Day, held at Busch Stadium last October 2. All photos are provided courtesy of the St. Louis Cardinals and should not be reproduced without their permission.

Details about the White House event, including live streaming information, can be found here.

Numbers 5, 6 and 7.

Albert Pujols with Flat Stanley.

Tony La Russa and Red Schoendienst greet Stan.

Jose Oquendo and Pujols await their turn.

Colby Rasmus shakes Stan’s hand.

Stan works the line.

Adam Wainwright congratulates Stan and his wife Lil.

The bullpen is next to pay their respects.

Stan acknowledges the upper deck on his way out.

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Who controls the Memphis Redbirds and AutoZone Park?

Every now and then, a baseball team finds itself in serious financial trouble.

Under the ownership of leveraged buyout specialist Tom Hicks, the Texas Rangers became mired in financial difficulties so deep the team was taken into bankruptcy and eventually sold at auction.

Complex entanglements from the collapse of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme are threatening the financial core of the Wilpon family, the owners of the New York Mets. This subject is seemingly in the national news every day.

Just this morning, I read an article at Fangraphs about potential options for the Wilpons. In it, author Alex Remington investigates the idea of public ownership of a baseball franchise, specifically the one that currently plays at Citi Field.

Referenced is The Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a liberal think tank, which published a list of the six minor league baseball teams believed to be owned by the public.

The Memphis Redbirds of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League is among the six, but the situation and description, referencing local leadership with a strong civic and charitable orientation, is out of date.

If you thought the Memphis Redbirds Baseball Foundation was still in control of the team, you would not have been alone. You would be in the same boat the Fangraphs author and the Institute referenced above.

It is no longer the correct answer, though.

Fundamental Advisors LP, a private-equity firm, gained control of the Redbirds franchise and AutoZone Park through the purchase of tax-exempt bonds after they went into default. The bonds were backed by the franchise and the ballpark. AutoZone opened in 2000, with its $80.5 million cost the record high for a minor league stadium.

Bloomberg.com sees these investor takeovers of distressed situations, specifically municipal debt, as a new wave.

In their own words, “Fundamental Advisors is an alternative investment platform focused on special situations and distressed opportunities – primarily in tax-exempt municipal securities.” The limited partnership is led by Chairman and CEO Laurence Gottlieb and calls Fifth Avenue in Manhattan home.

As the Memphis Redbirds Baseball Foundation headed toward a 2009 default of its $72 million tax-exempt bond issue used to fund the construction of AutoZone Park, their relationship with their original bondholders became “adversarial,” according to the Foundation’s treasurer, John Pontius. The debt caused a lack of working capital which the Foundation blamed for the club’s operational problems.

Pontius’ words in the Bloomberg article are positive with respect to Fundamental Advisors’ judgments in funding the baseball operation since taking control. Those previously managing the Redbirds on a day-to-day basis, Blues City Baseball, were cleared out, with a unit of media giant Comcast, Global Spectrum, awarded a facilities management contract for the team. That change began in July 2009 with naming of Ben Weiss, a long-time Global Spectrum employee, as Memphis’ new general manager.

For some time during the bumpy period, the Redbirds had been on the market. In fact, in September 2008, the parent St. Louis Cardinals signed a letter of intent to purchase their top farm team and rent AutoZone Park.

That did not come to pass. By January 2009, the Cardinals withdrew the letter of intent. Not surprisingly, the amount of debt, the impact of back taxes and future revenue projections were represented as major factors in the parent organization’s decision to walk away from the opportunity.

It is not known whether the club and ballpark are currently actively being shopped. Given the current environment, it would appear to depend on what Fundamental Advisors views to be its most advantageous business opportunity.

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February 16 Pujols-Cardinals media scenarios

How might the story unfold if the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols are unable to come to contract terms by the reported deadline of February 16?

As the baseball world is far too aware, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols does not plan to discuss his contract once he reports to spring training. Some media sources have said Pujols’ camp has assigned February 16 as that deadline date.

Looking ahead a few days, what might happen on the 16th?

Certainly, the two sides could announce a new contract. That is pretty cut and dried.

If there is no deal, however, a number of possible scenarios might ensue.

1) Both sides could restrict their communications regarding the status of the negotiations to prepared statements only.

a) They could disclose the details on money and years discussed privately that everyone wants to hear, or much more likely,

b) They would not provide specifics other than the obvious that the deal is not done.


i. Reporters (and the fans) would not be satisfied with that and would continue to probe for information. Either the sides would hold to that stance or


ii. This agreement might erode if one side discloses details (either directly or indirectly) designed to try to take the high road. This would drive the other side into sharing their version of the events, likely conflicting in at least some aspects. The result would be a more contentious public posture to carry into the season.

2) Both sides could take media questions either separately or jointly in a scheduled press conference.

a) Either Pujols would be kept out of it, with his agent representing him or

b) Pujols would be involved directly.

3) Both sides could make a joint decision about further communications.

a) They could agree to cease discussions until after the season (as expected) or

b) They could decide to continue discussions, disregarding the deadline or

c) They could say they won’t be talking, but continue to privately do so anyway.

No matter what, the heat is about to be turned up. During the winter months, the principals have generally been unavailable and out of the spotlight. With Pujols reporting to camp, that will change.

Specifically, even if the 2a path is followed, Pujols will still personally be pressed for information, whether in the clubhouse or on the practice fields, an action that will almost assuredly irritate him.

Once Pujols is in uniform, he will not be protected by his handlers. I do imagine team officials will try to shield him, but some will continue to ask the questions until they get something of substance to report.

Here is my 2a-related prediction based on my direct experience. Pujols will say he is not talking about it. That might hold until about the third time he is asked, at which point he will angrily explain in considerable detail why he isn’t talking about it.

Another possibility is the 2b path – that the Cardinals hold a Mark McGwire-like clear-the-air show on day one of camp to get it out of the way, supposedly once and for all. This seems like the most straightforward way to go, but putting Pujols directly on the “witness stand” has its risks, too.

Trying to influence public perception without it being obvious they are attempting to do so could be a crucial maneuver for both parties. Fans will invariably take sides, with some accusing Pujols of being insincere and greedy, others calling ownership inept and/or cheap, while others, disgusted by the entire process, will blame both. The ones who have already made up their minds will find cause to dig their trenches even deeper.

No matter what, Pujols’ teammates and manager will be queried about the situation for a day or two, but like the McGwire story last spring, once it is clear there is nothing more to say, the local media will generally move on.

The national media and those who cover Cardinals opponents will be a much different animal, however. If unresolved, the contract and free agency questions will be asked and re-asked in each new road city all year long.

Photoshoppers in every MLB city will be cutting and pasting Pujols’ smiling face into the local threads. It seems inevitable. After all, each of them could be a prospective future home of the franchise first baseman.

What do you think will happen on February 16?

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A fantasy baseball diversion

Since this blog is about the St. Louis Cardinals and their minor league system, I rarely discuss fantasy baseball here. If there is any good time to take a brief diversion, however, now is it, as everyone is gearing up for the 2011 baseball season in their own way.

I have greatly enjoyed the annual competition fantasy sports offer for a couple of decades now and actually wrote about that even before investing my (almost) full-time focus on the Cardinals.

Over the winter, I worked on several fantasy-related projects that are starting to hit newsstands and today, I will highlight a few.

A publication to which I have contributed for at least a decade, “The Fantasy Baseball Guide 2011”, can be had for $7.99. In addition to having penned player “Picks and Pans” scattered throughout the magazine, I participated in a “Strategies of Champions” interview. ESPN’s Nate Ravitz and I discuss what went into our pair of top two finishes in the National League Tout Wars competition over the last two seasons and what we have taken away from them.

The 2011 FOX Sports Fantasy Guide/Scout Prospect Guide will be out soon. As always, our Cardinals top 20 is featured along with my essay which includes top pitchers and position player prospects to watch this coming season and why. Annual subscribers to The Cardinal Nation that signed up by January 21 will receive a free copy in the mail. Others can purchase it when it hits newsstands.

USA Today has two spring baseball magazines out, one specifically devoted to fantasy. My contribution is actually in their regular baseball mag, called “Baseball 2011”, on sale in stores for $8.99 and available to purchase on-line too. In it, I co-authored a pro-con piece on what to expect from New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter in 2011. I took the con, explaining why I see him in decline.

The USA Today marketing department is a smart group. Depending on the area of the country in which “Baseball 2011” is being sold, they substitute the mug of a local player on the cover. So, the St. Louis version plugs Albert Pujols and an article written by my friend and Mastersball associate Lawr Michaels. (Not sure why I didn’t get that assignment, but Lawr did a great job.)

In the Big Apple, Jeter’s photo appears with the screaming headline, “Legend in the Fall” (see side-by-side photos of the “same” mag). Since I began the Jeter piece with a Dorian Gray reference before heading into an assessment of the November of “Mr. November’s” career, readers will quickly tell which direction I took. As a result, I will probably need to be put in a protection program to be shielded from unhappy Yankees fans. If instead I disappear abruptly like Jimmy Hoffa once did, you will know why.

I continue to pen (can one “pen” via a keyboard?) a weekly fantasy-oriented column each Saturday at Mastersball.com, where I am among a group of long-time friends and industry collaborators. I often focus on topics like league rules which would be dry to non-fantasy players, but now and then, I jump out of the box.

My most recent article was also picked up by our partners at KFFL.com. The site is one of the most comprehensive sources of player news around, making it most useful for any baseball (or football) fan. My new column looks at three National League third basemen, including a bad-ankled one already very familiar to this group.

While I am mentioning Mastersball, I will close with a commercial.

For serious players looking for a fantasy baseball information provider this season, Mastersball continues to offer what I truly believe are the best projections around. I say this because I understand the processes that go into them and participate personally. We explain our methodologies in detail for prospective customers and provide last year’s projections free so people can see ahead of time what they will receive. I use these in all of my league drafts.

Further, this year, we’ve developed our own draft software that integrates our projections into a computer-based tool. You can track rosters, remaining players and projected standings during a draft, whether snake, straight or auction. We’ve been putting this code through the paces all winter and will be releasing it to subscribers tomorrow.

Mastersball isn’t as well-known as many of the bigger sites offering projections but we’re very proud of our results in well-known leagues against many of the industry’s heavyweights. Our online projections are updated bi-weekly and kept current all season long. They aren’t free, but sometimes you get what you pay for.

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Rochester group cuts Batavia losses but says 2011 is it

In the good news department, Rochester Community Baseball (RCB) reduced the amount of their loss incurred while operating the Batavia Muckdogs in 2010.

Now for the bad news. They still reported a $92,000 deficit for the year on gross revenues of roughly a half million dollars.

That compares to $250,000 in red ink from during their initial season providing business management of the club in 2008 and nearly $150,000 more lost the next year. The actual deficit over the three years is $488,917, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

The silver lining on the dark cloud is that RCB has accumulated five percent ownership of the Muckdogs franchise for each season of their deal, or a total of 20 percent by the end of this season. At an estimated sale price of $4 to $6 million, the Rochester group would seem destined to make an eventual profit, even with continued losses operating the team likely in 2011.

The Batavians are less fortunate, however, as their equity position in the team declines each year. For a good period of time last summer, it looked like 2010 would be the final year for New York-Penn League baseball in the upper New York town.

While they have staved off extinction for another year, the handwriting is on the wall. With continued losses and that erosion in their ownership stake each season, the franchise is slowly bleeding to death.

Last summer, the team was officially put on the market. RCB chairman Gary Larder reminded his anxious shareholders that their annual losses operating the club will end as time for baseball in Batavia runs out.

“The team is for sale,” Larder said. “We don’t expect to be doing it again next year. We expect they will be sold.”

Not surprisingly, the hometown Batavia Daily News painted a more hopeful picture about the situation while acknowledging the sale process is in full swing.

“We are working to find a buyer that will give us what we think is fair value for the team and keep the team in Batavia for another couple of years. That would be the ideal situation,” said RCB COO Naomi Silver.

“Because of our ability to get our (RCB) money out of it in the end, we are not in a desperate situation to find a buyer. We are going to find the right situation. In the last week, I’ve talked to six different parties, and I don’t know if any will come to fruition, but people are interested.”

2011 is potentially shaping up to be a lame-duck season for baseball in Batavia. As soon as possible, new ownership would most likely relocate the franchise to an area with a better facility, greater population draw and of course, a realistic chance to turn a profit that neither RCB nor the Batavia majority owners before them could achieve.

Apparently unconcerned by all this, the St. Louis Cardinals signed a two-year extension of their Player Development Contract with the Muckdogs last fall and are committed to provide players to the team in 2012 no matter where their home might be.

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2/15 Musial White House ceremony to be streamed live

President Barack Obama will honor recipients of the 2010 Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House to be held at 1:30 P.M. (ET) on Tuesday, February 15th.  The honorees include St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial.

The Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor, is awarded to individuals who make an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

In great news for everyone unable to attend in person (like all of us!), the event will be live streamed at www.WhiteHouse.gov/Live. Mark it on your calendar.

All fifteen recipients of the 2010 Medal of Freedom were announced in November. The full list can be found here.

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Balancing top prospects and winning baseball

The recent signing of former Minnesota Twins infielder Nick Punto by the St. Louis Cardinals provided another reminder of the similarities between the two teams. They are both Midwest-located, good fundamental-playing, middle-market, well-run organizations that are typically Central Division contenders in their respective leagues.

I came across a news item that reminded me of one current difference, however. An article about the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings’ annual shareholders meeting held last weekend highlighted a dreadful 2010 season for both the Twins Triple-A and Double-A clubs. The two limped home with 49-95 and 44-98 records, respectively.

I do not profess to be an expert on the Twins organization nor want to pass judgment about their player development processes, but those records seem to indicate a shortage of talent and/or a lack of depth that inhibited them from fielding competitive teams at the upper levels of their system.

Still, coming into 2010, Baseball America had ranked the Twins seventh among the 30 MLB organizations. Apparently, their top talent is lower in the system and/or concentrated in a handful of individuals. In the new 2011 rankings that were recently introduced, Minnesota slipped a bit but still remains in BA’s top half, at number 14.

The Red Wings article points out how the Twins specifically targeted minor league free agents this winter, bringing 17 new players into the top ranks of their system in preparation for the 2011 season. The clear intention is to put a more competitive product on the field in Rochester and Double-A New Britain via an influx of minor league veterans.

St. Louis is a study in contrast.

Despite the Cardinals system having been ranked substantially lower than the Twins – 29th by BA one year ago and 24th this year – St. Louis’ top two minor league clubs not only posted winning records last season, but they also made the playoffs. While Minnesota’s top two clubs posted an aggregate .325 winning mark, Memphis and Springfield finished the 2010 regular season at a combined .549.

The Cardinals did it predominately with players they originally scouted and signed. Over the last five years, the organization has added fewer and fewer minor league free agents. Their current count for 2011 is just eight external signees, many to help shore up a depth exposure in the middle infield. Further, it seems a virtual certainty that at least two of the additions, Jim Edmonds and Miguel Batista, will never don a Memphis uniform.

Of course, it is important to distinguish between Triple-A and Double-A team won-loss records and an assessment of the level of top prospects across an entire minor league system. The former is more of a measure of quantity while the latter focuses on the quality of a relative few.

Still, all things considered, shouldn’t the Cardinals’ often-maligned player development function receive some credit for playing consistently good ball with rosters primarily filled with home-grown players?

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Cardinals spring television telecasts up to nine

Almost one in every three 2011 St. Louis Cardinals spring training games may be available on television.

Update 2/25: MLB.TV has now published their 150+ game spring schedule that includes nine Cardinals contests. The information is added below. The fee of $119.95 for HD and $99.95 for standard def includes spring and the regular season. Boxes supported include PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and more.

Update 2/17: MLB Network has announced their spring slate of 83 games, four of which include the Cardinals. This does not increase the previous total of ten games as all were previously scheduled on regional networks. However with MLB Network’s national reach, more Cardinals fans have a better chance of seeing these contests now. See the updates in the table below.

Update 2/9: The official slate of games, spring and regular season, has been announced by the Cardinals and FOX Sports Midwest. This includes five spring games, two more than I had previously reported. The March 16 game, already announced on FOX Detroit will also be on FOX Midwest. The March 19 split-squad game at Kissimmee against Houston is new. The table below reflects these updates with the total of spring games televised on any network now up to ten.

My original 2/5 post follows…

Though there has been no announcement, official or otherwise, from the St. Louis Cardinals or FOX Sports Midwest regarding their spring training television schedule, I have learned from other sources there are tentative plans to telecast three games from Florida. This includes the March 26 game against Florida which will be simulcast on FOX Sports Midwest and FOX Sports Florida, brought to viewers via a shared booth of Rick Horton (Cardinals play-by-play) and Tommy Hutton (Marlins analyst).

In addition, while not all of St. Louis’ Florida opponents have divulged their spring television plans, most have. Specifically, the Cardinals’ nearest residents, the Marlins and the Mets, against whom the Cardinals play most often each spring, have announced their March broadcast schedules.

The New Yorkers have picked up three games against St. Louis, two of which will run on SportsNet New York and the other on over-the-air WPIX. This includes an opportunity for early viewing as SNY will be showing the Cardinals’ third game of the spring, on Thursday, March 3.

The schedule includes a game against Detroit on FOX Sports Detroit on the 16th, a Boston contest picked up by New England Sports Network (NESN) on the 20th and a national ESPN match versus the Mets on March 23.

In fact, during the final week of camp, that ESPN telecast kicks off a run of four consecutive St. Louis games being televised. That includes the Cardinals’ only night contest in Florida this spring, from Viera against the Nationals on Friday, March 25, on FOX Sports Midwest.

All in all, the tentative Cardinals spring training television docket currently sits at nine games.

Which games you will be able see in your area is dependent on a number of factors. Though their schedules have not yet been divulged, it is expected that both the home and away telecasts should be available via MLB.com’s subscription service (with appropriate blackout rules) and perhaps via your satellite provider (depending on your service packages). More details will be provided as they become available.

Cardinals spring radio broadcasts on KMOX, previously announced, are included in the table below.

Tentative Cardinals 2011 Spring Training Broadcast Schedule

Day Date Opponent Location Local Time Radio TV
Mon 28-Feb Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Tue 1-Mar Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX/XM 186
Wed 2-Mar NY Mets Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Thu 3-Mar Washington (ss) Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX/XM 186
Thu 3-Mar NY Mets (ss) St. Lucie 1:10 p.m. SNY/MLBN (delay)
Fri 4-Mar Houston Kissimmee 1:05 p.m.
Sat 5-Mar Houston Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX (delay)
Sun 6-Mar Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Mon 7-Mar Minnesota Ft. Myers 1:05 p.m.
Tue 8-Mar Boston Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Wed 9-Mar Atlanta Orlando 1:05 p.m.
Thu 10-Mar Atlanta Orlando 1:05 p.m.
Fri 11-Mar Detroit Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Sat 12-Mar Minnesota Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Sun 13-Mar NY Mets St. Lucie 1:10 p.m. KMOX WPIX-NY/MLB.TV
Mon 14-Mar Atlanta Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Tue 15-Mar Atlanta Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Wed 16-Mar Detroit Lakeland 1:05 p.m. FS Detroit/Midwest/MLB.TV
Thu 17-Mar Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX FS Midwest/MLBN/MLB.TV
Fri 18-Mar Washington Viera 1:05 p.m.
Sat 19-Mar Florida (ss) Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Sat 19-Mar Houston (ss) Kissimmee 1:05 p.m. FS Midwest/MLB.TV
Sun 20-Mar Boston Ft. Myers 1:05 p.m. KMOX NESN/MLBN/MLB.TV
Mon 21-Mar Washington Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Tue 22-Mar OFF DAY 1:05 p.m.
Wed 23-Mar NY Mets Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX ESPN/MLB.TV
Thu 24-Mar NY Mets St. Lucie 1:10 p.m. SNY/MLBN/MLB.TV
Fri 25-Mar Washington Viera 6:05 p.m. KMOX FS Midwest/MLB.TV
Sat 26-Mar Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX FS FL/Midwest/MLB.TV
Sun 27-Mar NY Mets Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Mon 28-Mar Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Tue 29-Mar Florida (ss) Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Tue 29-Mar Springfield (ss) Sprf, MO 7:07 p.m. KTRS 550

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Still flipping out over Flip

In case you missed it, on Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays announced the signing of free agent infielder Felipe Lopez to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training camp.

Like the vast majority of the seven free agents cast loose from the St. Louis Cardinals after the disappointing 2010 season, Lopez was apparently forced to accept a minor league deal if he wanted a job this coming season.

Of course, Lopez was different from the Jeff Suppans, Pedro Felizes and Randy Winns in that he didn’t actually survive until game 162 in 2010. Considered an attitude problem in the clubhouse and with diminished results on the field, Lopez was unceremoniously released on September 21.

The move appeared most unusual given that as an impending free agent, Lopez seemed to have value. His performance in 2009-10 according to the Elias formulas would deem him a Type B free agent.

The Cardinals apparently did not want to risk the possibility that Lopez might accept an offer of arbitration, which would lock him into a return to St. Louis in 2011. Without making that offer and a decline by Lopez, the Cardinals could not receive a compensatory pick for him. Rather take the chance by going down that path, instead the Cardinals cut their losses while cutting Lopez loose.

The Boston Red Sox understood the Type B opportunity and quickly added Lopez despite their playoff chances having already been dashed. Like the Cardinals, they were basically just playing out the remainder of a season that fell short of expectations.

The Sox played Lopez in four games and once the season was over, offered him arbitration. It isn’t known if Boston had a pre-agreement with Lopez not to accept, but either way, he didn’t. That meant Lopez was again a free agent.

Once a team signed Lopez to a major league contract for the upcoming season, the Red Sox would receive an extra 2011 draft pick between the first and second rounds.

That obviously didn’t happen.

Reactions from some in the Tampa Bay camp were as amusing as they are uninformed. One headline screamed, “Rays’ stick-it to Red Sox sign Felipe Lopez denying compensation”.

While emotions are high in Tampa due to the Rays losing star outfielder Carl Crawford to Boston as a free agent, the writer apparently let that anger get in the way of the facts. The author incorrectly believes the signing would have cost the Rays compensation except for “a loophole”.

The Rays didn’t stick it to anyone, other than perhaps themselves by adding Lopez to a new mix that already includes well-known slacker Manny Ramirez. There is no loophole. No matter what, the Rays would not have lost anything.

The reason they signed Lopez to a minor league contract is because he simply isn’t good enough to justify a major league deal. Had he been able to secure an MLB contract elsewhere, he would have been all over it. From his perspective, with camps starting in days, any job is better than none.

Again, the compensation Boston would have received had he signed a major league deal would have cost Tampa Bay, or any other signing club for that matter, absolutely nothing. All the low-risk bet cost the Red Sox was a couple of weeks of MLB-minimum salary for Lopez.

The Cardinals’ approach appears to have worked out just fine, having no missed opportunity by releasing Lopez when they did.

The real question to be asked is why in the world would the Rays want to commit to a major league salary and tie up a roster spot on a declining Lopez who will probably need some good fortune to make their MLB roster, whether a comp pick is involved or not?

It would make no sense whatsoever. It would also ruin the headlines.

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A look inside St. Louis Cardinals finances

During St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up, I attended a one-hour presentation from team president Bill DeWitt III during which he covered several general topics before taking questions from the audience. Among those subjects was the team’s finances.

Here are some of his key points.

General team finances

St. Louis is 24th of 30 MLB markets, using Nielsen DMA as the measure. This does not include “outer markets.”

The Cardinals are 20th in MLB in revenue due to the size of the market and the resulting cable television deal, which runs for seven more years.

In local revenue (tickets, food, beverage), the Cardinals rank in the top five in MLB. No team has a bigger gap so greater local dependence on local revenue.

The club receives 1/30th of all MLB revenue. For example, MLB Properties for central licensing and MLB Advanced Media. This allows clubs more consistent revenue through team up and down years.

(According to a recent report from BizofBaseball.com, MLBAM alone generates a half-billion dollars in revenue annually.)

Considering all sources, St. Louis is 10th in revenue across MLB, which is the same spot as player payroll spending. They consider themselves a “top 1/3 club” along with the big market teams, but have greater dependency on ticket sales.

They are looking at changing season ticket reporting to a more consistent method across MLB. For example, eight ten-packs could equal one season ticket.

The Cardinals are implementing customer relationship management (CRM) to better understand preferences and past history.

Ballpark finances

New Busch Stadium cost $411 million, including some first season expenses.

A $100 million assistance proposal from the state did not pass. Meant they needed city help or they could not have financed the stadium.

There is a five percent city admission (or amusement) tax on entertainment tickets (including Rams, Blues, etc. – unique in MLB.) above the sales tax that was abated by the city for 29 years.

Prior to the new stadium, the five-year average (through 2002) the Cardinals paid the city was $7.7 million in admission, revenue taxes etc. It is now up to an average of $10.3 million in the last five years because of increased revenue and a higher payroll tax. City did the right thing.

State was active, too. MODOT moved up the schedule to relocate a highway exit to make room for the park and the state gave them tax credits for environmental cleanup from old gas stations. Same credits were available to any MO business. $50 million in state investment. Revenues from Cardinals to state up from $9 million average before new stadium to $18 million average since it opened.

Other than San Francisco, financed like St. Louis, the cost of most stadiums were at least 90 percent public assisted. St. Louis was about 10 percent.

The Cardinals borrowed about $300 million to build the stadium. They are able to service the debt annually, but carry a larger burden than other clubs.

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Catch Cardinals in the Caribbean Series

Starving for some live baseball action?

The Caribbean Series gets underway today, Wednesday, February 2. The annual tournament pits the winners of the winter leagues from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Mexico in a round-robin competition. Schedules include double-headers in each of the next six days from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico at 3:00 P.M. and 7:30 P.M Eastern.

The only two current St. Louis Cardinals players participating are left-handed pitcher Raul Valdes and infielder Ramon Vazquez, both of whom were signed over the winter to minor league contracts with spring training invitations.

Valdes, a native Cuban, is listed as the starter for the Dominican Republic in game one at 3:00 today, Wednesday, while Vazquez is on Puerto Rico’s preliminary roster and may be in the lineup for the 7:30 P.M. contest.

All games will be telecast by ESPN Deportes. Do not despair if the worldwide leader’s Spanish channel is not carried on your local cable system.

ESPN offers a feature called ESPN3, formerly called ESPN360. If your cable supplier is a participant in the program, and many are, you can sign up at no additional charge to see via your computer alternate ESPN programming not normally carried in your area. The Caribbean Series games are among the listed options, though telecast en Espanol. You can also view archived telecasts.

About ¼ of the way down this page is a link to the list of participating cable systems as well as instructions for signing up.

ESPN also has a very good website with series rosters, schedules and background information. While it is in Spanish, if you use Google toolbar, you can translate it into English with a single keystroke.

In addition, as always, for The Cardinal Nation subscribers, we will be breaking down the daily performances of Valdes, Vazquez as well as a number of ex-Cardinals competing in the Series.

Update: Gulf Coast League Cardinals catcher Kevin Moscatel was a late addition to the Venezuelan roster as their third catcher for the Series. It is a nice honor for the 19-year-old, who played briefly for Caribes earlier in the winter ball season.

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More local TV revenue won’t cover Pujols’ contract

Members of the St. Louis Cardinals’ extended community anxious over the impending contract negotiations between the club and superstar first baseman Albert Pujols have come up with some interesting ideas.

For example, a group is planning a rally to show their support for the two sides to come to terms. Other suggestions are intended to “help” the club identify additional revenue sources, which they could then deploy in paying Pujols.

One proposal is for the Cardinals to create their own regional television network in the image of the Yankees’ wildly successful YES Network. Unfortunately, any such change would not occur quickly enough to impact the current situation.

First of all, there are major market differences between St. Louis and New York. In fact, St. Louis ranks 24th of the 30 metro markets using Nielsen DMA data, according to team president Bill DeWitt III. While he acknowledged that does not take into account “outer markets” where the Cardinals are regionally strong, it wouldn’t close the gap with The Big Apple.

Yet there is clearly considerable money to be made in team broadcast rights.

Last fall, the Texas Rangers inked a landmark 20-year contract extension with FOX Sports Southwest that takes effect in 2015. The total value of the deal is said to be a whopping $1.6 billion.

That $80 million average per season is a huge increase over the $45 million the club reportedly receives under the current contact. An additional $35 million each and every year could buy a lot of anything, including the services of several baseball players in their prime.

With the Texas situation firmly in mind, during the recent Winter Warm-Up I asked DeWitt III if conditions could be right for a similar windfall for his club.

DeWitt characterized the Texas situation as “the perfect storm” with a change in team leadership due to the previous owner who “had overly-leveraged the franchise and got into trouble that probably started with the A-Rod contract. I won’t draw any parallels,” he quipped. DeWitt also observed the Rangers cable TV footprint ranges from Arlington to Dallas to Houston.

One major reason these conditions won’t be developing soon in St. Louis is that the Cardinals have seven years remaining in their current contract with FOX Sports Midwest. The deal had been extended prior to the 2007 season.

A provision in the revised agreement that was picked up stipulates that starting in 2011, all Cardinals games not telecast nationally, about 150, will be found exclusively on the regional sports network. Available via cable and satellite, FOX Sports Midwest was rated number one among all such networks across MLB during the 2010 season. Free, on-air Sunday games, most recently shown on KSDK and a regional network, have likely disappeared forever, DeWitt acknowledged.

The team president further pointed out that there are risks in long-term deals like the one made in Texas that might limit the Cardinals’ flexibility down the road.

“To get into an extension (with FOX Sports Midwest) might be a bit premature but we are looking at everything that is happening in the industry,” DeWitt said. “Some clubs have extended very long into the future – 20-year deals. The Oakland A’s have done that (with Comcast SportsNet) and a few others.”

The Cardinals don’t seem to see a clear benefit in the trend.

“We are kind of scratching our heads thinking about that because… is that good for the club? Or is it risky if it is one of those things where sure, you might be able to lock in some big increases and maybe even bump up revenues and payrolls and so forth, but are you limiting your flexibility and options for the future – perhaps do your own cable network of things of that nature?” DeWitt asked.

With at least seven years of the status quo ahead, don’t expect incremental cash to begin flowing in to fund Pujols’ impending contract – unless a tremendous portion of his money is deferred.

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KMOX announces Cardinals spring radio schedule

KMOX radio, the new-old home of the St. Louis Cardinals, has announced its 2011 spring training schedule of 17 games. Their opener is the team’s second Florida contest, against the Florida Marlins on Tuesday, March 1.

One game will be broadcast on delay due to a conflict with a Blues hockey game and three others are on Cardinals split squad days, March 3, 19 and 29. The basic schedule posted on KMOX’ site does not specify which of the split squad games will be covered, so in the schedule below, I assumed they will be the home contests in Jupiter. The radio games are not yet reflected at MLB.com, but will likely be added soon.

The usual spring Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday-Sunday schedule is generally followed, but there are several deviations. The details are below, with the opponents listed, not included in the KMOX announcement.

It is likely that all these games will be also available via subscription at MLB.com and some will likely be picked up Sirius/XM satellite radio, but those schedules are not yet available. Some opposing team’s broadcasts will also be included in these pay packages, and I will share that information when announced.

In addition, there is one television game announced so far with more coming. The March 23 home game against the New York Mets will be on ESPN as well as KMOX.

Update: The games with the Detroit Tigers on March 16, Boston Red Sox on March 20 and Florida Marlins on March 26 have been added to those clubs’ spring television schedules and are noted below. Though FOX Sports Midwest has yet to announce their slate of games, the 26th game will be among them.

Day Date Opponent Location Local Time Radio TV
Mon 28-Feb Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Tue 1-Mar Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Wed 2-Mar NY Mets Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Thu 3-Mar Washington (ss) Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Thu 3-Mar NY Mets (ss) St. Lucie 1:10 p.m.
Fri 4-Mar Houston Kissimmee 1:05 p.m.
Sat 5-Mar Houston Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX (delay)
Sun 6-Mar Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Mon 7-Mar Minnesota Ft. Myers 1:05 p.m.
Tue 8-Mar Boston Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Wed 9-Mar Atlanta Orlando 1:05 p.m.
Thu 10-Mar Atlanta Orlando 1:05 p.m.
Fri 11-Mar Detroit Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Sat 12-Mar Minnesota Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Sun 13-Mar NY Mets St. Lucie 1:10 p.m. KMOX
Mon 14-Mar Atlanta Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Tue 15-Mar Atlanta Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Wed 16-Mar Detroit Lakeland 1:05 p.m. FS Detroit
Thu 17-Mar Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Fri 18-Mar Washington Viera 1:05 p.m.
Sat 19-Mar Florida (ss) Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Sat 19-Mar Houston (ss) Kissimmee 1:05 p.m.
Sun 20-Mar Boston Ft. Myers 1:05 p.m. KMOX NESN
Mon 21-Mar Washington Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Tue 22-Mar OFF DAY 1:05 p.m.
Wed 23-Mar NY Mets Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX ESPN
Thu 24-Mar NY Mets St. Lucie 1:10 p.m.
Fri 25-Mar Washington Viera 6:05 p.m. KMOX
Sat 26-Mar Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX FS Florida
Sun 27-Mar NY Mets Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Mon 28-Mar Florida Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Tue 29-Mar Florida (ss) Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Tue 29-Mar Springfield (ss) Springfield, MO 7:07 p.m.

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Why are some surprised by the Pujols no-trade rumor?

Starved for baseball news of any kind and especially frantically searching for any smoke signals from the continuing contract negotiations between superstar Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals, a segment of the fans and media went nuts Saturday when ESPN’s Buster Olney reported a rumor that the first baseman would veto any trades presented him.

National media like Sporting News and even MLB.com amplified the report. In every rehashed version I read, the fact it was an unsubstantiated rumor was conveniently left out, instead representing this as bonafide news from the Pujols camp.

Doesn’t anyone out there have a common sense filter? Someone needs to bring a group of Cardinals fans down from the ledge. I am going to try to do my best here to talk some reason into them.

Of course, Pujols does not want to be traded. The whole thing is one big hypothetical exercise.

From a business perspective, as a player with ten years as a major leaguer, the last five with one team, Pujols enjoys full no-trade protection. Sure, the club could try to buy him out of it, but why would they even risk trying? Consider the potential negative ramifications of going down that path.

First and foremost, why would Pujols want to give up the built-in contract leverage he enjoys by being the face of the Cardinals franchise? If he wants to remain a career-long Cardinal as he has stated many times, he would be motivated to remain with the team and try to work out a deal, even if negotiations stretch into the fall and winter.

From a personal perspective, why would Pujols want to turn himself into a baseball vagabond, playing one uncertain season with a new club leading up to free agency and likely moving to a third team next winter?

For a player who intensely focuses on preparation for every game and does not want in-season contract distractions, a trade to a new city would increase his 2011 year-long distraction level many fold. Perhaps Pujols could block it all out and have a typical MVP-level season, but what if not?

Pujols’ only reasons for considering the above would be a desire to chase the largest contract possible via free agency. That is a position he has yet to take, at least publicly.

Then we have the fact that the Cardinals have never even hinted to anyone that they would consider dealing Pujols away, in the past or present.

Could the idea have been floated as a negotiating tactic? Could it have been leaked by one camp to send a message to the other? Perhaps, but we have no way of knowing one way or another. Even if was mentioned in their talks, it doesn’t mean there is any substance behind it.

Should the Cardinals have discussed the subject internally? One would hope they have long considered all alternatives, but any realistic Pujols trade scenarios evaporated at last year’s July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

Until Pujols reached his ten-year MLB anniversary last season, the Cardinals could have dealt him without his consent. His contract did have a short list of teams with whom he would not play, but surely one of the many others would have wanted up to two years of his services had he been made available.

The Cardinals did not pursue that avenue in 2010 and prior, surely because they expected to re-sign their first baseman. At this point, they should be given the time to try to do just that. There are no indications that the team is anywhere near frustrated enough with negotiations to have reached the point of no return – a trade.

At the current time, Pujols’ relative market value would be depressed, anyway. While the take could be more than the two draft picks the club would receive if Pujols walks next fall, it might not be substantially greater. Reference this analysis of a comparable situation with Mark Teixeira to appreciate the decline in trade value of a top player as free agency approaches.

Folks should hold the over-reaction until there is actual substance to react to, something that is actually news. Olney’s common sense rumor clearly isn’t it.

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Pujols’ endorsement earnings grew four-fold last year

Despite the current focus on the money St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols will be making on Major League Baseball diamonds in the future, his earnings off the field have quickly become a major piece of his growing total income pie.

Yet despite a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger season in 2010 and a year-to-year increase in estimated endorsement earnings from $2 million to $8 million*, Pujols fell from fourth to ninth place in the annual professional sports Power 100, released on Friday.

In both years of the list, Pujols has been the highest-ranked baseball player. In 2011, NFL quarterback Peyton Manning unseated golfer Tiger Woods for number one based on a methodology for “power” in athletics developed by Businessweek.com, Horrow Sports Ventures, CSE Group and Nielsen/E-Poll N-Score.

How is this calculated? In the words of BusinessWeek:

“…50 percent of the score should reflect “on-field” performance, using existing statistics. The remaining 50 percent is based on “off-field” measurements. The latter comprises a blend of E-Poll’s data and CSE’s estimate of off-field earnings. The new single score—the Nielsen/E-Poll N-Score—is a composite measurement of awareness, trustworthiness, appeal, and influence that’s designed to measure overall popularity and thus best capture a sports personality’s endorsement potential.”

The 50 percent stats score is 80 percent based on the most recent season and 20 percent from the year prior. In the case of baseball players, numbers considered are: Batting Average, Runs, Hits, and Home Runs (for batters) and Wins, Saves, Strikeouts, and ERA (for pitchers).

For the off-field measurement, the 50 percent total is weighted 80 percent on the athlete’s expected endorsement potential and 20 percent on estimated endorsement earnings.

* In their 2010 Power 100, BusinessWeek listed Pujols’ earnings at $18 million. With a $16 million base salary, my assumption is the remaining was his estimated endorsement total, though this was not rendered specific. His key sponsors were Nike, Upper Deck and Pro Performance.

One year later, Pujols’ total earnings are listed as $23.5 million, of which $8 million was directly called out as having been endorsement-based. In other words, in one year, his off-field income has grown from approximately 12 percent of his on-field earnings to 50 percent.

In comparison, Power 100’s top-ranked Manning picked up an estimated $15 million via endorsements last year, more than doubling his salary from the NFL’s small-market Indianapolis Colts.

Manning is currently in negotiations with the Colts on a new contract that is expected to make him the highest-paid player in NFL history and keep him with the franchise for his entire career. Despite an expiring labor agreement between players and owners, both sides seem confident a deal will get done.

Sound familiar?

With Pujols potentially nearing free agency and a new contract that should pay him at least $25 million per year in salary, how much weight will a forecast for an increase in his future endorsements based on his team carry in his decision?

Still, there seems considerable potential for endorsement earnings growth for Pujols no matter where he suits up starting in 2012. After all, Manning has done pretty well for himself despite just one Super Bowl victory in 13 seasons with Indianapolis, hasn’t he?

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Tony La Russa roast to first air Friday on FOX Sports Midwest

A one-hour TV special recapping the roast and toast of St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and the 2011 St. Louis Baseball Writers’ dinner will premiere Friday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Midwest. It will also be repeated three other times over the following two weeks.

Video highlights — including some of the most hilarious lines from the roast — can be viewed now at FOXSportsMidwest.com.

The event took place Sunday, Jan. 16 in St. Louis. Roasters included Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland, basketball legend Bobby Knight, actor/musician Billy Bob Thornton, former Cardinals reliever Steve Kline, Cardinals broadcasters Mike Shannon and John Rooney and sportscaster Martin Kilcoyne.

A Roast and Toast of Tony La Russa – St. Louis Baseball Writers’ Dinner TV special on FOX Sports Midwest

Friday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. CT
Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 4 at 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 9:30 p.m.

Some of the raunchiest lines that may have been partially edited out are posted here at TheCardinalNationBlog.com.

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Photos from Cardinals Legends Camp

As in each January, the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals Legends Camp is being held at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. The basic allure is that the average fan can participate in workouts, games and evening events alongside former Cardinals players.

This year’s camp is currently running, from January 26-30. According to its website, the event was a sell out despite the hefty price of $4495. or $5695. per camper.

Former Cardinals pitcher and FOX Sports Midwest broadcaster Ricky Horton is among the celebrity participants. Click on the link to see photos Horton has posted of the proceedings, which include a number of his 1980’s contemporaries.

Perhaps more will be added over the next few days of camp. Horton is also tweeting about the proceedings, so if you are interested, be sure to follow him on Twitter at RickyH49.

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