Albert Pujols proved Thursday that making statements about free agent negotiations not being about the money—in any sport, for any person—is a bad idea, signing the Los Angeles Angels’ 10-year, $254 million deal instead of the St. Louis Cardinals’ final offer, which was apparently in the range of $210 million. Pujols had just finished rejecting the advances of the Miami Marlins, which were apparently both "creative"—in the potentially negative Chinese-curse sense—and worth even more than the Angels or the Cardinals’ offer.
So that’s it: Pujols is now an Angel—narrowly, as it turns out, the highest-paid Angel on the team, with Vernon Wells making a kind-of-hilarious $21 million a year after earning more than $26 million.
As for the Cardinals, expect a restrained approach to their newfound Pujols millions, at least in the early going—Jose Reyes, the most sensible choice for free agent rebound, as well as Jimmy Rollins and Mark Buehrle, the most frequently bandied-about choices, have all already been snapped up.