MLB

Hot Stove! Albert Pujols’ “Mystery Team,” C.J. Wilson’s Likely Departure, And Other Wheelings And Dealings

Three days of Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings are in the books, and we’ve seen no shortage of action. Some players have already switched teams. For others, it’s still up in the air. Here’s a quick look at where we stand with some of the biggest gets.

Albert Pujols: This one’s more up in the air than ever. The Marlins were supposedly making a big push, but yesterday came the news that the team was “moving on emotionally” from its pursuit of the best player of the 2000s. (We imagine there were tears involved.) With that, all signs seemed to point to the Cardinals and a reportedly improved offer out of St. Louis – but wait. Maybe not, so now the Angels and a quite-possibly nonexistent ruse to drive up Pujols’ price “mystery team” will try to land him. We still think he ends up where he’s been all along, as a Cardinal. (UPDATE: Pujols just signed a 10 year, $250 million deal with the Angels).

Prince Fielder: No clue what’s happening here. He’s probably not coming back to the Brewers, he apparently likes the Cubs, he won’t go to the Marlins, and his agent is talking up the Mariners. Gun to our head, we’ll guess the Cubs make their first big splash of the Theo Epstein era and bring him in.

Mark Buehrle: No drama here – Buehrle will be a Marlin, for four years and $58 million. This latest fat contract might have something to do with the team apparently not pursuing either of the top first basemen on the market – they might have just spent all they can by now. While Buehrle will be 33 next year, he’s been a good pitcher for a long time, should have some effective years left, and will help the Marlins going forward.

C.J. Wilson: Well, the Rangers don’t expect him back. Right now, it’s apparently down to the Angels and Marlins, and considering the Marlins have already added Buehrle, we’re liking the Angels’ chances. So is former MLB GM Jim Bowden. Wilson isn’t as established as Buehrle, but he’s younger and has been awfully good the last two years – and it couldn’t hurt for the Angels to weaken their division rival.

Getty photo (by Dilip Vishwanat), via