Halo Headlines: Pujols and His Contract Are a Top Storyline, Second Wild Card Could Be Added This Season, Comparing the Pujols and Fielder Contracts

The January 30th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Pujols living up to his contract is a top storyline for 2012, MLB looking to add a second Wild Card this season, comparing the deals given to Fielder and Pujols and much more…

The Story: Albert Pujols living up to his contract is a top storyline for the 2012 season.

The Monkey Says: Well, duh.  However, I don’t really think this that big of a story to watch this season.  We are talking about a 10-year contract here.  The first few years are the ones people aren’t all that worried about.  Get back to me in 2015 and then we can talk about really worrying about The Machine earning his money.

The Story: Bud Selig wants and expects a second Wild Card to be added for the 2012 playoffs.

The Monkey Says: I fail to see why they would do this before the 2013 realignment, when the two leagues and all the divisions will be balanced, making this playoff scheme more fair to everyone.  On the other hand, with the general consensus that the Angels are one of six playoff-caliber teams in the American League, an additional playoff spot is just fine by me.

The Story: Comparing the mega-contracts of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.

The Monkey Says: The question is framed as who got the “better” contract, but “better” is very much relative to which side is looking at the deal.  Fielder might have better perks, but Pujols gets more overall money.  However, the two teams involved are pretty much mortgaging their futures, so it becomes a question of who mortgaged it less.

The Story: C.J. Wilson talks about the thrill of owning his own racing team and what it means for his future after baseball.

The Monkey Says: This racing interest is something we are going to hear a lot about over the next five years.  In fact, it was something Ranger fans (probably bitter ones) complained that Wilson had too much interest in, as if he was neglecting baseball somehow.  I don’t buy that since Wilson has obviously been peaking the last few years even with his racing interests growing.  He also seems like a guy who is just too honest and too hard-working to stop giving it his all on the diamond just because he finally got his big payday.

The Story: An in-depth look at the roles of new special assignment scouts Larry Corrigan and Tim Schmidt.

The Monkey Says: It is pretty easy to see why these two guys were some of the earliest and most important hires by Jerry Dipoto.  It is also a clear sign that as much as Dipoto talks about using sabermetrics and analytics to guide decisions, he still is including a lot of old-school baseball minds in the process as well (see also the hiring of Marcel Lachemann).