Maybe the difficulty that the Cardinals and Albert Pujols appear to be having coming to an agreement on a contract extension for the brute is a strange topic for RHM. After all, we’ve focused pretty exclusively on the Reds lately, and the Reds are one of the few teams that would not be trading up to take on the gorilla-sized first baseman.

Even so, I find it fascinating, with the clock ticking down, that we aren’t hearing anything. Apparently, prince Albert has set a deadline of the day when position players report to spring training, February 18 in the Cardinals’ case, for the extension of his contract. As soon as he hits the practice field, he’s no longer willing to talk dollars. And if his people and their people cannot come to an agreement, the galoot will be a free agent come the end of the 2011 season. And, lest you think that the Cards are holding out to trade him, he’s a 10/5 player and can veto any trade.

Ooh, intrigue!

Of course, there’s nothing saying that they haven’t long since come to an agreement and are just keeping it quiet (and doing an unusually exceptional job of it) to increase interest. Or that the Cards might be banking on a less-than-stellar year so they can pick Pujols back up on the cheap from the free agent market. (That one seems pretty unlikely, but I’m talking nonzero chance here.) But rumor has it that Pujols is talking 10-years, $300 million from his side of the table. The price per year is probably about right, but the Cards seem to want to stay in the 7-8 year range. Understandably. In ten years, Pujols will be “41.”

Damn, $300 million. What does a person even do with that kind of money? People in business school with me are looking to make $10 million in 10 years, but we’re talking 30 times that. I can’t even make that make sense in my brain. Is the lifestyle of a person who gets $300 million over the next 10 years significantly different than the lifestyle of a person who gets $350 million? Or $250 million? How many mansions and yachts and islands can one person really get use out of?

If I had that kind of money, I’d hire a full-time fashion designer to make all my clothes. I wonder if Pujols has ever considered that. But I digress.

Fan sentiment seems to be mixed. On the one hand, people love them some Albert, but on the other hand, they’re thinking about what else they might be able to buy with that kind of money. Looking back on all the years when the team has failed to win it all (or even make the postseason in some recent cases) with Albert on board has to tip the sentiment in favor of spreading around the cash a little.

And the secrecy of the whole even can’t be helping either. I understand not wanting to make a big production, but come the beginning of February, fans are starved for baseball action, and huge dollars and a deadline ultimatum are just the kind of drama we feed on. The ultimatum itself could make matters worse. Albert says he wants to focus on the season and put the contract out of his mind as soon as he takes the field, but no one else is going to be able to put it out of their minds so easily. If he’s a pending free agent, every darn person out there is going to be watching to see who might be starting the courting process early.

The good news is that it isn’t going to be the Reds. Cincinnati won’t have to make the decision between funding the first baseman or paying the rest of the team for another three whole years.

John Fay reported the numbers that both the Cincinnati Reds and the arbitration-eligible players Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez submitted.

The Reds offered Johnny Cueto $3 million. He countered at $3.9 million. Remember, John Danks, who I mentioned as a comparable, he settled last year for $3.45 million.

The Reds offered Edinson Volquez $1.3 million. He countered at $2 million.

Clearly, the two parties aren’t too far apart. I’ve never seen the Reds not sign their players when the discrepancy is less than a million.

While the Cincinnati Reds haven’t been too active this off-season, with the exception of re-signing a player or extending others, what have the St. Louis Cardinals, second-place finishers in 2010, been doing? About the same thing as the Reds, actually.

The Cardinals re-signed their mid-season acquisition Jake Westbrook, giving them a projected 2011 rotation of Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Jaime Garcia, Westbrook, and Kyle Lohse. That’s a solid rotation, although not without its questions, especially in terms of staying healthy for both Carpenter and Lohse.

As for the team’s offense, which seemed a bigger issue in their season-ending collapse, the team has added Lance Berkman, apparently to play left field. Berkman last played left field in 2006. He last spent significant time in the outfield in 2007.

The team also traded for former Chicago Cub Ryan Theriot to take over shortstop duties for Brendan Ryan, who pissed off Chris Carpenter several times last year because he was more relaxed than the uptight pitcher. Theriot is slightly better at the plate and slightly worse in the field, so this particular move is unlikely to bring any overall change to the team, other than to make everyone even more careful around the holy Carpenter.

Of course, the biggest news concerning the Cardinals has been something they have yet to do: sign Albert Pujols to an extension. His current contract runs out at the end of the 2011 season, and with the crazy money free agents who are far less capable than Pujols, he stands to make a metric crap-ton of money.

Jayson Stark had a nice article examining the Cardinals Pujols situation last week. The Cardinals are facing some payroll issues.

They already figure to be on the hook for about $68.4 million, just for six players, in 2012, assuming they pick up options on the nearly equally indispensable Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina. Now if you add another $30 million for Pujols, they’d be closing in on $100 million for just 28 percent of their roster — this for a team that had a $113 million payroll last season.

That’s a tough place to be. I’ve seen a team who devoted an unseemly high percentage of its payroll to one player. That didn’t end well (2000-2008 Reds, I’m looking at you). The Cardinals are going to have to increase their payroll, get very creative with contracts, or look at a future without Albert Pujols.

I have a hard time envisioning the latter, as do most Cardinals fans, I’m sure, but it’s one that would make me happy.

In a year that saw the Cincinnati Red win for the first time forever, you knew there had to be a good chance for some hardware to be won after the season. The first such awards were announced today, with the Reds getting not one, not two, but three Gold Glove awards.

Cincinnati third baseman Scott Rolen won his eighth Gold Glove, while two teammates, second baseman Brandon Phillips and pitcher Bronson Arroyo, were also honored. Phillips’ award was his second, Arroyo’s his first.

I was confident that Phillips would win the award again; he was great again this year. I’m a little surprised by Arroyo and Rolen, although they are no slouch in the defensive department. But not giving one to Jay Bruce does seem like a crime to me. Bruce’s arm was constantly a runner-stopping presence. And he stole a home run or two from hitters, as well.

There’s always next year. Plus, it seems a little silly to complain about enough Reds not being lauded. Cincinnati won the most gold gloves of any team. Imagine that, award-winning defense back in Cincinnati!

Tony LaRussa Signs with St. Louis Cardinals.

Did you hear that? It was a huge, collective sigh of relief from fans of all Major League baseball teams outside of St. Louis, Missouri today. Tony LaRussa will not be taking his tired, team-hating antics anywhere else next year. No, LaRussa will remain a Cardinal.

The team announced the deal Monday and said it includes a mutual option for the 2012 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.

You might think it a little odd to bring back a manager who so clearly lost the ability to motivate his team to play good baseball at the end of the 2010 season. But apparently, that failure was all due to bullpen coach Marty Mason. He was fired today just as LaRussa’s rehiring was announced. Because the reason the Cardinals didn’t get first place was because their bullpen sucked. Right. I’m sure the rest of the National League Central will be quaking at the thought of whoever his replacement is.

Still, everyone with the possible exception of Cardinals fans should be very happy that LaRussa and the Cardinals won’t be much of a threat next year.