There had been a proverbial deadline in place for the St. Louis Cardinals to sign Albert Pujols to a contract extension for a while now, but now we have a greater idea of when that might be.
#cardinals request that Pujols deadline shifts to Wed noon Fla time in deference to Musial's honor at White House. Pujols agreed. #stlcards
Derrick Goold
dgoold
Matthew Leach of MLB.com has a few more details.
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Monday that if no deal has been reached, talks between the team and agent Danny Lozano will come to an end on Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT/noon ET.
The deadline is more of a self imposed restriction than one that is actually set in stone. Pujols had expressed interest in a deadline so that contract negotiations wouldn't become a distraction to him and his teammates as the season approached. But all hope is not lost if they can't reach an agreement by Wednesday.
If no deal is reached, it would not necessarily be the end between Pujols and the Cardinals. The club would still have exclusive negotiating rights from the end of the season until five days after the World Series. And even if he were to hit the market, the Cardinals would of course still be free to participate in the bidding.