The Chicago Cubs met with Albert Pujols’ agent last night (not about Rodrigo Lopez – about which more soon), and, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the Cubs made the 31-year-old first baseman an offer.
The offer, confirmed this morning through a source, is called a “qualifying bid,” which suggests only that it was more than a fake-out offer designed to rile up the Cardinals. The terms of the offer are not disclosed.
There were rumors yesterday that the Cubs would try to land Pujols on a short-term, high annual dollar contract (example: five years, $150 million), and it’s possible that’s the kind of offer they made.
Jon Heyman just reported that the Cubs prefer Prince Fielder to Albert Pujols, but his rationale was that the Cubs were unwilling to offer nine or ten years to a 31-year-old player. If the Cubs are limiting their offer to Pujols to a shorter term, it’s possible Pujols is the preference.
Or neither of them are the preference. Isn’t this a great time of year?
For my part, if the question is Pujols at five years and $150 million or Fielder at five years and $125 million, I’m probably choking down my Cardinal hate and going with Pujols.
UPDATED THOUGHT: I should add, given that the report is coming from St. Louis, I’d hazard a guess that the source is someone close to Pujols’ agent Dan Lozano, or Lozano, himself. Might he have an incentive to exaggerate in this situation? Yes.