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Monday, December 19, 2011

HBT: Pujols’ contract carries $10M in milestone incentives

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, Pujols will get an additional $3 million from the Halos if he reaches 3,000 hits and $7 million if he manages to top Barry Bonds’ record of 762 career home runs.

Pujols will begin his tenure in Anaheim with 2,073 career hits and 445 home runs. If the 31-year-old is able to maintain the kind of offensive pace he produced in 11 years with St. Louis, he should reach 3,000 hits within the next five or six seasons. The home run record is more of a stretch, but it might be attainable if Pujols mashes for all 10 years of the contract. He’d need to average 31.7 dingers per season through 2021.

still hunting for a halo-red october (in Delphi) Posted: December 19, 2011 at 04:14 PM | 19 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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1. Enrico Pallazzo Posted: December 19, 2011 at 05:19 PM (#4019346)

The fact that he already has 2,073 hits and 445 homers is ####### ridiculously awesome.

But I didn't need to tell you that. :)

2. bunyon Posted: December 19, 2011 at 05:26 PM (#4019350)

This pretty much cinches "overpay", right?

I mean, if he's good enough for his contract, they have to pay him more.

I guess it isn't that much more, though.

3. Walks Clog Up the Bases Posted: December 19, 2011 at 05:27 PM (#4019352)

And yet, it puts it into perspective just how astonishing Bonds' mark is, in that even with those impressive numbers, Pujols still needs to crank out more than 30 homers a year for the next decade.

4. JRVJ Posted: December 19, 2011 at 05:37 PM (#4019362)

Meh, with Steroids and a bigger head, Pujols would have gotten there already.

5. Walt Davis Posted: December 19, 2011 at 05:40 PM (#4019365)

Well, if he doesn't get to 3,000 hits, the contract's a complete bust -- less than 93 hits a year. But then it's just a $3 M bonus so trivial. The HR bonus is more substantial but does require he at least be pretty productive to reach it. My unofficial projection for Pujols (5000 PA of about a 150 OPS+) probably puts him just short of Bonds. He might try to stick it out for the last 15-20 HR but the Angels would probably be off the hook by then.

6. bunyon Posted: December 19, 2011 at 05:48 PM (#4019373)

Good point, Walt. I hadn't really thought it through - he'd have to catch Bonds DURING this contract. He can't get to 745 and then hang around. Unless someone is stupid enough to sign him to hang around and break the record and give him a bonus. At that point, the contract is the bonus.

7. PreservedFish Posted: December 19, 2011 at 05:52 PM (#4019376)

I think it's interesting that they used 762 instead of 755. Wonder if there was any discussion about that.

8. Juan V Posted: December 19, 2011 at 06:07 PM (#4019383)

What if A-Rod gets there first? Is the bonus paid for #763 or for making it to the top?

9. • Posted: December 19, 2011 at 06:20 PM (#4019388)

Isn't this kind of like ... I don't even know the analogy. When you're making $250 million billion dollars, is 7M really an "incentive"

10. DL from MN Posted: December 19, 2011 at 06:38 PM (#4019400)

I read that as $10M in millstone incentives

11. PreservedFish Posted: December 19, 2011 at 06:41 PM (#4019405)

"Bonus" is probably a better word than "incentive." But, yeah, I think that $7 million is still a pretty serious incentive, even if you have more than $100 million in the bank.

12. The Yankee Clapper Posted: December 19, 2011 at 06:47 PM (#4019410)

Like #8, I wonder if the contract uses the Bonds total or just refers to the HR record, which A-Rod could break before Pujols gets all that close. A-Rod had 73 more HRs than Pujols' at the same age, so Pujols will have to considerably outperform A-Rod over the later part of his career to catchup.

13. Joyful Calculus Instructor Posted: December 19, 2011 at 06:54 PM (#4019416)

I don't see how this guarantees overpay. He's more likely to be overpaid if he doesn't reach the milestones. As Walt said, no 3000 hits means the contract is a complete bust. It would take a Jimmie Foxx type collapse for that. Heck, 4000 hits isn't even completely out of reach. And if he gets the homeruns, then it means he was productive for at least most of his contract.

14. staring out the window and waiting for fenderbelly Posted: December 19, 2011 at 07:23 PM (#4019440)

I didn't realize how close to 3000 hits Bonds was... 65 of those 2558 walks are looking pretty stupid now, aren't they!

15. Eddo Posted: December 19, 2011 at 08:01 PM (#4019487)

Isn't this kind of like ... I don't even know the analogy. When you're making $250 million billion dollars, is 7M really an "incentive"

Sure. If you make $50k a year, you'd still be happy with a $1400 bonus, wouldn't you?

16. Enrico Pallazzo Posted: December 19, 2011 at 08:04 PM (#4019492)

Sure. If you make $50k a year, you'd still be happy with a $1400 bonus, wouldn't you?

Diminishing returns.

17. joker24 Posted: December 19, 2011 at 10:42 PM (#4019624)

Correction: 10 million units of respect.

18. Never Give an Inge (Dave) Posted: December 19, 2011 at 11:24 PM (#4019638)

I didn't realize how close to 3000 hits Bonds was... 65 of those 2558 walks are looking pretty stupid now, aren't they!

You suppose that hurt his Hall of Fame chances?

19. Hombre Brotani

Posted: December 20, 2011 at 01:35 AM (#4019719)

Correction: 10 million units of respect.

More like just 10.

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Monday, December 19, 2011

HBT: Pujols’ contract carries $10M in milestone incentives

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