Albert Pujols’ contract not a smart move for Angels, says Tony La Russa

Tony La Russa said he wouldn’t give Albert Pujols a 10-year deal if he were the Los Angeles Angels. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Angels’ signing of Albert Pujols to a 10-year, $254 million contract in 2011 may seem like a good idea right now, but it’s a dangerous investment and one that Tony La Russa, who won a World Series ring last year with Pujols on the St. Louis Cardinals, says he would never do, according to comments he made on Wednesday morning as a guest on ESPN’s First Take:

“I think Albert is perfect — I call him Albert P. Pujols for Albert Perfect Pujols — but I don’t think that I would ever endorse a contract beyond six years, tops.”

La Russa called the contract “scary” and “dangerous” and said it would’ve been too big of a committment for him to make if he was the Angels’ manager:

“It’s one of the dangers in our game when an organization is pushed beyond something — five or six (years) is a big commitment — when you go longer I think it’s scary and dangerous.”

Pujols got off to a curiously slow start at the start of his first season with the Angels, failing to record a home run until the beginning of May. Currently, he is batting .288 with 30 homers and 102 RBIs.