Quo vadis Pujols?

It would be sad to see this sight. Will we?

First, as Yahoo's Scott Brown notes, despite the silence on both sides, it seems Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals are nowhere near a deal. And, as Steve Henson notes ,that's got other Cards wheeling and dealing possibilities, like for Michael Young, on hold.

Brown, per my poll on these pages, lists possible teams to whom Prince Albert could go. Commenters here rank "another team" first. I'm guessing most of that vote is for the San Francisco Giants. The Cubs are a strong No. 2. The Mets' worries about the Madoff suit I think have to take them out of the running. The Rangers, maybe, could jump in. But, I'm still doubtful right now.

And, while everybody claims the Yankees and Red Sox, even, would jump in, I'm not so sure. That would push the Yankees to $250M a year PLUS having to dump Mark Texeira while eating a fair chunk of his contract. If Pujols agreed to a sign-and-trade as part of that, it could happen, but even then, not likely. And, assuming I'm right on the Yankees, I don't see the Red Sox getting in the fray either.

So, other than eliminating the Mets from consideration, which I think you voters have done (if you're picking me up on RSS, stop by and vote on my polls!), I'm not changing the list of "likely teams."

Oh, and if my Photoshopping of Prince Albert at bat, in baby blue pinstripes at the Friendly Confines isn't enough, Fox Sports has put mugshots of him in the unis of all the top signing contenders.