JUPITER, Fla. — Albert Pujols drove his big, black pickup into the St. Louis Cardinals' spring training camp Thursday and pulled into a parking spot reserved for owners.
No one complained.
Deal or no deal, Pujols and the Cardinals are still happy together. For now, anyway.
The three-time MVP arrived for his first formal workout of the 2011 season, which the Cardinals desperately hope will not be his last in St. Louis. He showed up one day after he and the team failed to reach an agreement on a new contract by a deadline Pujols imposed and insisted that wasn't going to bother him this season.
"I'm more locked in than ever," Pujols said.
Music to the Cardinals' ears, right there.
Pujols' pickup came through the gate at 7:35 a.m. He half-seriously asked for some help when one large box filled with bats fell out of the driver's-side back door, then loaded his arms with his gear and made the short walk inside. The notion that he would be extra-motivated to perform in a contract year was shrugged off by Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.
"You won't be able to see any difference in the way he practices and plays," La Russa said.
A nine-time All-Star, Pujols is the only player in major league history to hit 30 or more home runs each of his first 10 seasons — all with the Cardinals, the franchise he's often said he wants to remain with for the rest of his career, a stance he reiterated yesterday.
Pujols has a .331 career batting average and averaged 41 homers and 123 RBIs. He's also won six Silver Slugger Awards and two Gold Gloves. Last year he batted .312 with 42 homers and 118 RBIs and finished second in the MVP balloting.
The Cardinals declined Wednesday to reveal their offer, though it was believed to be somewhere around $200 million for eight years.
"You guys don't have any clue," Pujols said. "You guys are way off on the numbers that you are throwing out there."
Pujols will not reopen talks with the Cardinals until after the season. He can become a free agent after the World Series.
He said he would not negotiate publicly.
"What do I want⢠Hey, I want to be a Cardinal forever," Pujols said. "That's my goal."
