Fresh from winning his second NL MVP award, Albert Pujols is eyeing the future. As in, will St. Louis still be the right fit for him?
The Cardinals star said the team’s commitment to winning will dictate if he re-signs when his contract expires in two years.
“It’s not about the money all the time,” the first baseman said Sunday in Jupiter, Fla. “It’s about being in a place to win and being in a position to win.
“If the Cardinals are willing to do that and put a team (on the field) every year like they have, I’m going to try to work everything out to stay in this town. But if they’re not bringing championship-caliber play every year, then it’s time for me to go somewhere else that I can win.”
Pujols arrived in camp Sunday and spent time in the batting cage. He’s signed to a seven-year, $100 million deal, and hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs last season.
iller.
Pujols had surgery on his right elbow to fix a nerve problem in November and is unsure how it will react to the everyday workload of spring training.
Manager Tony La Russa said the Cardinals will be “very careful in the progression with his drills and swinging and off-field work.”
Pujols is uncertain if he will play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic because of the surgery and insurance issues. He was a member of the team in 2006.
“I’ve already done it once,” he said. “I need to make sure everything goes the right way,” he said.
Boston right fielder J.D. Drew, meanwhile, is feeling back stiffness from a herniated disk that limited him in 2008. He said he had one MRI exam after the season and that it didn’t show any serious injury.
“It’s still pretty stiff,” he said in Fort Myers, Fla. “I’ve been able to hit and run and all of that staff. I’m just in the maintenance stages.”
The 33-year-old Drew hit 19 home runs and had 64 RBIs in 109 games last year. He said he could play right now if the team needed him.
“The herniated disk seems to be the major cause of the stiffness and irritation,” he said. “As long as you can keep that from being too inflamed, I guess you’ll keep the back, as far as playing shape goes, in good shape. Everything is well enough to perform and play.”
“I’m hopeful,” Drew said. “You can only do so much. I’m very, very hopeful that the program we have will work. My body will tell me. I know right now it’s stiff and I can play.”
The Los Angeles Angels lost Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Jon Garland, and Garret Anderson is expected to leave, too. So why is manager Mike Scioscia so upbeat?
“This might be one of the first springs we can talk about having too many guys,” Scioscia said Sunday.
The Angels were the only team in the majors with 100 wins last year, but lost to Boston in the first round of the playoffs.
Rodriguez set the big league saves record with 62, then signed with the New York Mets. Colorado’s Brian Fuentes signed a two-year deal, fortifying a deep bullpen.
“Anytime you can add depth to the back end of your bullpen, you’re a better team and we were able to do that,” Scioscia said.
The Angels also signed free-agent outfielder Bobby Abreu right before camp opened in Tempe, Ariz.
“I don’t think the way to look at it as who’s not here. It’s really a deeper club than we’ve had in a while,” Scioscia said.
The San Francisco Giants hope 45-year-old Randy Johnson will boost their rotation. He grew up in the Bay Area and signed a one-year contract the day after Christmas.
“The perfect scenario was to finish in Arizona. If it didn’t work out, and a lot of times it doesn’t work out for a player, then the next best option was to stay on the West Coast in the National League West. Because of the familiarity, that accommodates my game,” he said Sunday.
Johnson starts the season with 295 career victories.
“Winning 300 is important, but it is not the sole reason I am playing this game,” he said. “It will be a great moment in my career. It’s only five wins. I hope to get five wins early in the season and move on. When it’s over, I would like to do what I came here to do – help this team win. Hopefully the four or five months after that are really important. I’d like to have people think that I made a difference, that I had an impact in some way.”
The five-time Cy Young winner had his second back surgery last year, yet finished 11-10 with a 3.91 ERA. He will begin a spring healthy for the first time since 2006, the second of his two seasons with the New York Yankees.
t in New York. I could barely even tie my shoes. All that’s behind me now.”
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