OT: Pujols or Pietrangelo

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Before I start....I hope to be wrong on this and hope we can come back and laugh at the thought of this being discussed in regards to AP leaving.

That being said, IF Petro ends up leaving, which one do you think would initially hurt you more, Albert leaving, or Petro leaving?

Both being drafted by the teams and “homegrown”, both coming off a championship in which they were the prominent player, both similarly aged, both similarly loved. For me me I’d SLIGHTLY lean Petro just for the fact that I like hockey more than baseball, but Albert leaving sucked hard. Obviously he hasn’t done much team wise since leaving, but it still has sucked seeing him reach big career milestones elsewhere.

Like I want nothing more than for Petro to come back, but I’m curious as to what you all think on this one.

Click to read more...

 

[DatDude44]

If you're judging solely based on their impact on the sport it's Albert...he was insane. But for me as a Hockey lifer and watching petro's entire career and his impact for the blues and the cup...... for me it's him i'll literally cry the day he leaves or retires.

 

[ort]

Albert was a much much much much much bigger deal...

But Petro leaving would personally effect me more.

That said... worst ever was when Brett Hull walked.

 

[Brian39]

Petro by a mile. The speculated contract required to retain Petro is significantly less damaging to the team than what it would have taken to keep Pujols. I didn't like the way the Cardinals fueled the media hate on Albert when he left, but I supported their decision not to hand out the contract required to keep him. I vehemently disagree with the Blues if their position is that they shouldn't give Petro a contract similar to Josi's.

Albert leaving was bittersweet. I was devasted to see him go as a fan but felt that it was a justifiable (and probably smart) business/front office decision. Petro leaving will have the same devastation as a fan, in a sport I care about more and my brain will be telling me it was the incorrect move from a roster construction point of view.

Edit: With all of that said, I'm still pretty optimistic that Petro stays. I've been saying all season that 2 of Steen, Bozak or Allen will likely need to go over the summer in order to keep Petro and the rest of the team intact. Nothing about the last week has changed that. Barring a large reduction in the cap, we should still be able to extend Petro and the rest if we move 2 of those guys. The large question is still about finding a number both sides can live with, not about being compliant with the cap.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Albert was a much much much much much bigger deal...

But Petro leaving would personally effect me more.

That said... worst ever was when Brett Hull walked.

See I was pretty young when Hull left, so for me so far the big name that’s left that’s hurt was Pujols

 

[SIU LAW]

I stopped paying attention to baseball for years and years by the time Pujols rose to stardom, but even I recognized from afar his leaving was a huge deal.

Hull leaving and Pronger being traded both left me wrecked and in disbelief. Hull was essentially the reason I got into hockey and Pronger was a force of nature on skates. The Pronger trade still makes me cuss and rant.

I won’t be happy at all about Petro leaving, but in a cap era, with cautionary examples like the contracts of Seabrook and Backes make me understand the push/pull of the issue and would make it a little more tolerable (though I doubt most years of Petro’s contract will be an anchor like those particular contracts). I hated to see Backes leave, but I was glad that very day the Blues did not match it/the term.

 

[Mike Liut]

Pujols was already starting to decline when he left. His best years were behind him. No more .330 / 40 / 100+ at that stage of his career.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Pujols was showing signs of decline and won 2 championships, and the best teams he was on were over, the MV3 teams. La Russa was retiring, so it just felt like the natural end to an era. If Pietrangelo leaves, it would suck because we just got over the hump with a nice Cup window over the next few years and Petro still has a decent amount of prime years left to help us win another.

I'm glad I only have the memories of Pujols of when he was a stud. I wouldn't want to see him in a Cards jersey the past few years.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Pujols was showing signs of decline and won 2 championships, and the best teams he was on were over, the MV3 teams. La Russa was retiring, so it just felt like the natural end to an era. If Pietrangelo leaves, it would suck because we just got over the hump with a nice Cup window over the next few years and Petro still has a decent amount of prime years left to help us win another.

I'm glad I only have the memories of Pujols of when he was a stud. I wouldn't want to see him in a Cards jersey the past few years.

To be fair it’s not like we’ve had much better at 1st outside of Goldschmidt lol

 

[bleedblue1223]

To be fair it’s not like we’ve had much better at 1st outside of Goldschmidt lol

Craig for a couple seasons, but I'm not saying we've been better off at the position, just that I didn't want to witness Pujols in his current form in St. Louis. It's not just that he's declined and his numbers are down a bit, he's had just one season in LA with an OPS over .790 and 2 seasons of .700 or below. I'm glad my memories of Pujols in St. Louis are only of his all-time great years.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

Petro leaving would definitely hurt more in the now, a #1D is more impactful on a game to game basis than a .300/30HR hitter and I personally don't think the Blues are contenders without Petro.

In terms of lasting memory, it'd take a few years to sort out, if we end up with some deep playoff runs in the next few years without Petro, it'd sting even more as he could easily have been the difference between winning and losing. The worst part of Pujols leaving was the first 3 years(he was still good despite missing a good chunk of 2013) where he may have been the difference between those NLCS/WS losses and more championships.

 

[TheDizee]

Cards handled the pujols departure by picking up beltran who basically replaced his production, combined with berkman and allen craig.

blues will have to do the same if he leaves. people have to step up.

 

[simon IC]

Cards handled the pujols departure by picking up beltran who basically replaced his production, combined with berkman and allen craig.

blues will have to do the same if he leaves. people have to step up.

Don't you worry. We have Justin Faulk.

 

[542365]

Petro leaving will be tougher for me. Pujols was starting to show signs of decline his final year in St. Louis, so when he signed that insane deal I knew the Cards made the right choice by not matching it. Pujols leaving was similar to Backes leaving(though Albert was obviously 10 times the player David was). It sucked, but the decline that was approaching quickly on the horizon made it easier to swallow. Petro seems like he just keeps getting better somehow, and while every player declines at some point, his feels like it won’t be nearly as steep as the other two. Petro still has at least five incredible years left in him barring injury. I would hate to see him in another sweater.

 

[JoshFromMO]

See I was pretty young when Hull left, so for me so far the big name that’s left that’s hurt was Pujols

If it's true that Hull didn't sign because Pleau didn't offer an NTC then that is the player I'll forever be most upset about not re-signing

 

[Ranksu]

Who that f*** is Pujols?

Marti Pujol at eliteprospects.com

Spanish 15-year vs. Pietro. I'll take spanish if Pietro walks for nothing.

 

[bluebird enthusiast]

Who that f*** is Pujols?

Marti Pujol at eliteprospects.com

Spanish 15-year vs. Pietro. I'll take spanish if Pietro walks for nothing.

Albert Pujols, legendary player of American pesäpallo

 

[simon IC]

Easy one for me, as I only follow baseball when they are in the playoffs.

 

[brokeu91]

I know we’re all hockey fans here but there’s really no contest. Petro is a great player, maybe a hall of famer, maybe. But Pujols was the best player in his sport for 10 years when he left. Pujols is a first ballot hall of famer while Petro might, one day, get into the Hall. Pujols leaving was a bigger kick in the nards for sure.

 

[Pizza!Pizza!]

This is a hockey board so your results will be skewed.

Pujols by a mile, the face of a winning franchise vs a solid top pairing DMan.

If Petro is smart/loyal he'll take a paycut and stay in STL, but if not, meh, it's not like he's ever really been the face of the team.

Honestly, this COVID shit might help keep him in STL, if the CAP plunges and there's no free market bidders for him, maybe he will take a cut to stay, at least for another year.

 

[Meatball]

Much as we all love Petro, I clearly recall the Pujols era.

Best Cardinal since Stan.

 

[Thallis]

The cardinals could fold and I wouldn't care much. Pietrangelo.

 

[Ranksu]

Hitting ball with stick and dress tight pants. Sound and looks like village people costume.

 

[WeWantTacos]

Who that f*** is Pujols?

Marti Pujol at eliteprospects.com

Spanish 15-year vs. Pietro. I'll take spanish if Pietro walks for nothing.

You have no idea how envious Brad Lidge is of you, Pujols destroyed him with one swing.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

You have no idea how envious Brad Lidge is of you, Pujols destroyed him with one swing.

I don't think that ball ever returned to Earth