Report: Marlins Out Of Pujols Sweepstakes
DALLAS, Texas (CBSMiami.com) – According to the New York Daily News, the Miami Marlins are out of the running for free agent first baseman Albert Pujols and instead will turn their attention to Prince Fielder.
The Marlins made their best pitch to Pujols' agent, Dan Lozano, during a 75 minute meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
Then, later Tuesday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals increased their offer to Pujols to up to 10 years and approaching $220 million.
After Lozano had the Marlins' best offer and sales pitch; the Cardinals came in and unloaded their new bid for Pujols.
It's believed, according to multiple sources, that the Marlins offered Pujols a 10-year deal that included deferred money and could have averaged a bit more than $20 million per season.
Late Tuesday evening, the Marlins staff even met with staff from the commissioner's office to go over contract details.
From a marketing standpoint, the appeal of Pujols to the Marlins was huge. The team could reap millions of dollars in marketing from Latin American countries wanting to advertise with Pujols.
From a baseball point of view, the Marlins' pursuit of Pujols doesn't make much sense. Pujols' contract will have the team paying him through the age of 41-42 years old.
If the Marlins do indeed move on to Fielder, they will sign a younger player with the same power as Pujols.
And, the Marlins could also sign a free agent starting pitcher like C.J. Wilson or Mark Buehrle to round out the rotation.
