A weird story emerged out of the negotiations between Adrian Gonzalez and the Boston Red Sox yesterday, one that has a tangential connection with the perennially obscure Albert Pujols-St. Louis Cardinals negotiations: That Gonzalez, whose contract status was a major hold-up in his trade from the San Diego Padres, wouldn't "go in there and ask for Albert Pujols' contract."
↵Presumably he's not talking about Albert Pujols's current contract, one of the great bargains of all time—seven years, $100 million, with a team option that is at this very moment keeping us from pulling our hair out in big clumps—which means Adrian Gonzalez has an opinion about the Pujols negotiations. And to be honest, I want to know it. I want to know anything we don't know already, because it seems like no new information has graced us about the Pujols contract since the Winter Meetings suggested something might be forthcoming.
↵It's interesting, and a little worrying, that the Albert Pujols contract is already a benchmark within baseball, before it's even been drawn up. This is going to be one expensive commitment.