Pujols affects Price - deadline kicked back

Hat tip to SI.com and Bill Shaiken at the LA Times.

Shaiken reports.....
As Prince Fielder takes what will almost certainly be his final spring swings with the Milwaukee Brewers, he has to be rooting for Albert Pujols to sign a contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals rather than head into free agency with him next fall. The market for Fielder could be surprisingly limited, with several big-bucks teams probably unavailable to drive up the market. The Boston Red Sox have Gonzalez at first base; the New York Yankees have Mark Teixeira; the Philadelphia Phillies have Ryan Howard; and the Detroit Tigers have Cabrera. Also, Angels owner Arte Moreno prefers to avoid Scott Boras, the agent for Fielder.

SO.....it's somewhat pertinent to Prince that Pujols and the Cards extended their deadline. We'll keep watchin'....

Cardinals, Pujols extend deadline for contract talks by one day Story Highlights
The extension, until Wednesday, is out of respect for Cardinals legend Stan Musial
Musial will be given the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday
Albert Pujols had said he wouldn't negotiate once he arrived at camp Wednesday

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) -- The St. Louis Cardinals and representatives for Albert Pujols have agreed to a 24-hour extension on contract extension talks out of respect for Stan Musial.

The Cardinals Hall of Famer will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Washington on Tuesday and general manager John Mozeliak said Monday the club did not want to distract from Musial's special day.

Pujols' agent, Dan Lozano, originally set a Tuesday deadline, the first workout day for pitchers and catchers in Jupiter, Fla., to reach an agreement. Mozeliak said the new deadline is noon (EST) Wednesday.

The 31-year-old Pujols is seeking a contract, perhaps as long as a decade in length, that would make him one of the highest paid players in the major leagues and allow him to retire as a Cardinal.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.