Albert Pujols, screwed by Dan Lozano?

Here's the backstory. Someone, apparently another agent, recently pushed unlabled manila envelopes, or the equivalent thereof, under the doors of major sports mags and a few newspapers. The clippings were enough to throw Dan Lozano, the agent for Albert Pujols under the bus in a world of allegations of sleaze notable even for the world of professional agents.

Here's Deadspin's long take on the allegations, and additional background. The Pujols getting screwed part? Right here:

Albert Pujols was the best thing that ever happened to Dan Lozano, who by 2004 was nearly broke, colleagues say. A source familiar with the negotiations says the Cardinals knew of Lozano's money issues (as did many GMs around baseball), and they knew he was desperate to get a contract extension signed as soon as possible.

"How can you handle your client's finances when you can't handle your own?" asks a rival agent.

The result: eight years at $14.5 million a year. One executive called it "the best owner's contract in baseball," according to a baseball source.

If it wasn't full market value, but it was money right when Lozano needed it. A year before, he had paid out nearly a million dollars to settle accusations of sexual harassment from two former employees.

Is it too late for Pujols to junk Lozano now? Would he?

At the same time, plenty of other agents, starting with one Scott Boras, have plenty of motive to throw Lozano under the bus. No honor among thieves and all that.

Lozano's own attorney claims Deadspin didn't use countervailing information he provided. That's part of a St. Louis Post-Dispatch story in which Pujols says Dan's the Man for him.