Cards will 'push, scratch' to retain Pujols
Albert Pujols - 1B - St Louis Cardinals
Dec. 4, 2009 - 8:55 AM ET
Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III acknowledged Thursday that the Cardinals will go beyond their "comfort level" in locking up Albert Pujols.
The Cardinals must keep their payroll around the $100 million dollar range, and extending Albert's contract could cost near $30 million annually. Devoting 30% of a payroll to one player is risky business, but Pujols might be the one exception. He has posted Hall of Fame numbers in his first nine seasons. "We'll definitely push, scratch and probably get beyond our comfort level and try to make something work with him," DeWitt III said. "I'm hoping that's good enough." Albert is under team control through 2011.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch