The Cardinals give the first baseman/outfielder a

seven-year contract.
By The Associated Press

The St. Louis Cardinals weren’t taking any chances, not with Albert Pujols.

Not willing to allow him to become a free agent after the 2006 season, the Cardinals gave him a $100 million, seven-year contact Friday that includes a team option for 2011 that could boost the deal to $111 million.

“One of the best moments of my life,” Pujols said during a news conference in Jupiter, Fla.

Pujols, 24, he hit a major league-best .359 last season with 43 homers and 124 RBIs. The first baseman/outfielder led the big leagues with 51 doubles and was second to San Francisco’s Barry Bonds in National League MVP voting.

All at the bargain price of $950,000.

“This deal not only recognizes Albert for his accomplishments over the past three seasons,” general manager Walt Jocketty said. “But all along, we felt that it was important to retain a player such as Albert who came up through our farm system, and see to it that he remained a part of the club’s nucleus well into the future.”

Since arriving in 2001 Pujols has hit 114 homers, matching Ralph Kiner’s record for most by a player during his first three seasons. He is the only player in major league history to bat .300 or better with 30 homers, 100 RBIs and 100 runs scored in each of his first three seasons.

Pujols is just the ninth baseball player to receive a $100 million contract.

“The money will mean something in a small way with my family, but it won’t change the way I play baseball,” he said.

In Kissimmee, the Atlanta Braves started workouts in an unfamiliar position: as underdogs.

Following the decision to cut payroll, and the loss of Gary Sheffield, Greg Maddux and Javy Lopez, it appears Philadelphia and the World Series Florida Marlins could end the Braves’ streak of 12 straight division titles. “Everybody thinks we’re going down this year, which is the same thing I heard when I came to camp last year,” Braves pitcher Russ Ortiz said. “That’s really kind of crazy when you think about it. Why would an organization that has won for so many years in a row suddenly decide they don’t want to win anymore?”

Although payroll has been reduced, the Braves are confident they will contend.

“You read something about our demise every year,” general manager John Schuerholz said. “There was a little more of it this year and that always gets you up for your job, but if we were motivated every time someone criticized us, we’d never lose a game.”

In Tampa, the New York Yankees said Mike Mussina probably will start their season opener in Tokyo against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on March 30.

“Obviously Moose is likely, but again you wait until the end of the spring to make sure that he’s had enough work and stuff like that,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said.

Mussina went 17-8 with a 3.40 ERA in 31 starts for the AL champions last season. Following the departures of Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and David Wells during the offseason, Mussina is part of a rotation that includes Kevin Brown, Javier Vazquez, Jose Contreras and Jon Lieber.

“It would be nice, certainly, to get to start one of the first two games of the year,” Mussina said. “I think at this point we’re just trying to prepare ourselves to go out and play. Any one of these guys in this rotation could pitch in those games.”

Across the state in Port St. Lucie, Mike Piazza took part in defensive drills for first basemen as more than 2,000 fans watched the New York Mets’ first official workout. While only pitchers and catchers were scheduled to take part, Kaz Matsui and Jose Reyes continued getting used to each other in the middle of the infield.

Piazza, the All-Star catcher, said he’s embracing the idea of learning a new position and becoming more versatile. Last season, he first heard about the Mets’ plan to play him some at first base in second-hand fashion, on a pregame television show.

Piazza said he had no lasting ill will about the way the situation was handled.

“It wasn’t a catastrophic event, it was just one of those things,” Piazza said. “Any relationship you have you sometimes have a little bit of a miscommunication. We got through it and we’re here now.”

In Tucson, Ariz., Ozzie Guillen bounced around the fields like a foul ball, talking with the Chicago White Sox pitchers and catchers, his coaching staff and just about anyone else who got within a few feet of him.

He spoke Spanish. He spoke English. He even tried a few words of Japanese. And when the day was over, he hitched a ride back to the clubhouse on the general manager’s golf cart, hanging off the back like a teenager joyriding with his friends.

“My first day, I had a blast,” Chicago’s new manager said after his team’s first workout. “I thought I was going to be nervous or it was going to be a little weird. But to me, today was like I came to spring training to play.”

AP-ES-02-20-04 2016EST