Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak declined to describe the tone of ongoing negotiations with three-time MVP Albert Pujols and his agent but did confirm that there is a hard deadline for a deal.
Mozeliak said that Pujols' agent Dan Lozano has notified the team an extension must be completed by the start of spring training. Pujols said last season that he did not want contract talks to leak into spring training or pollute the regular season. The Cardinals' first baseman is set to become a free agent next winter at the end of a deal that paid him $111 million over eight years.
Talking with fans during a question-and-answer session at the club's annual Winter Warm-Up, Mozeliak said rather than ignore "the pink elephant in the room" he would apologize for not being able to talk candidly about negotiations. He said Pujols, his agent and club ownership have decided to keep information about their discussions private.
"We don't want to sit here and handicap or guess or kind of give any type of gut feels where this thing is headed right now," Mozeliak said. "In respect to that, that is all I can really add to this topic. I don't think it will benefit anybody for me to weigh in at this time. ... We have been notified that spring training would be the deadline."
The Cardinals' position players are required to report to spring training in Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 18. Pujols is scheduled to appear at the Warm-Up on Sunday, his 31st birthday.
McCLELLAN aboard
The Cardinals avoided arbitration with righthanded reliever Kyle McClellan by agreeing to a one-year deal Saturday. McClellan had a career-low 2.27 ERA in a career-high 68 appearances in 2010, and he'll return to a setup role with the Cardinals this season. McClellan was the Cardinals' only arbitration-eligible player this offseason after they traded shortstop Brendan Ryan.
The Cardinals also agreed to terms Friday with infielder Ramon Vazquez, who spent all of 2010 in Class AAA with two different organizations. He last played in the majors in 2009, logging 101 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates. From 2007 to 2008, Vazquez started 120 games at third base for the Texas Rangers. He hit .257 and slugged .363 in Class AAA last season, and in nearly 700 major-league games spread over nine seasons he's hit .254.
fewer hits
Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook expects to have hitting curtailed at the start of spring training as he recovers from offseason surgery to repair his left, non-pitching shoulder. "I'll master the art of bunting," Westbrook deadpanned.
The righthander, who signed a two-year, $16.5-million deal with the Cardinals before Thanksgiving, had surgery at the end of the season to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. It bothered him mostly while hitting. The rehab has not interrupted his offseason pitching prep, Westbrook said Saturday, and he didn't expect the left shoulder to limit his hitting during the regular season.
come visit us
The Cardinals have invited Dominican teen righthander Carlos Martinez and 20 other top prospects not in major-league spring training to a weeklong mini-camp in Jupiter. The goal, according to farm director John Vuch, is to give a select group of minor leaguers individualized attention and a head start on their seasons. Other teams have similar programs, and the Cardinals in previous years have held mini-camps for a handful of pitching prospects.
Also among the 21 players invited to this first "Minor League Early Camp" are several 2010 draft picks, including pitchers Seth Blair, Tyrell Jenkins, John Gast and Jordan Swagerty and outfielder Nick Longmire and catcher Cody Stanley.
true-believer berkman
Newcomer Lance Berkman made his first visit to a Cardinals Winter Warm-Up on Saturday and the fans will have no trouble warming up to him, in light of his assessment of the 2011 Cardinals.
Addressing the media after he had signed autographs for more than two hours, the Cardinals' right fielder, who has played almost his entire career with the Houston Astros, said, "If there's a better team in the National League (than the Cardinals), I don't know who they are.
"You can talk about the (Philadelphia) Phillies and obviously they've got a great pitching staff. But we can pitch with anybody. And we can hit with anybody. We have a great team.
"Everybody ought to be excited — because if people stay healthy and if guys perform like they have in the past and like they're capable, we have as good as a team as there is. And not just in the National League, but in baseball.
"I feel like this is a genuine World Series contender. And I'm not just saying that. I really in my heart believe that. I'm not trying to be like (New York Jets coach) Rex Ryan, putting something out there and trying to make everybody mad. I feel like we have a great team."
MILLER's improving
Lefthanded reliever Trever Miller didn't have his best season last year and, with just three weeks left in the campaign, he wondered if he would have another season.
Miller was concerned about some pain in his left elbow, but after he received medical attention the injury turned out to be a slight tear in his flexor tendon, with no ligament damage. Miller returned to get into six more games before season's end but he was anxious to see how he would feel in the off-season.
A couple of months ago near Tampa, Fla., Miller offered some baseball lessons to youths aged 12 to 18 and did some long-tossing with them. And his arm felt all right.
"I don't normally pick up a ball until January," said Miller 37. "At first, I was a little tentative with it. I said, 'I don't know if this is a good idea.'
"But when I started playing catch with the kids. I didn't feel anything. I said, 'OK, it's calmed down. There's nothing in there.' Then it gradually it got a little bit better. I started feeling really good."
Miller said he already has thrown in three bullpen sessions.
"My elbow's not brand new, so there's always going to be something in there that I might feel," he said. "But ... right now, I'm ready to go."
Miller, who features a slider as his "out" pitch, said he wanted to add a curveball to his repertoire this season, and to improve his control.
"My walks were really high, for me, last year," he said.
Miller walked 16 in 36 innings last year after issuing 11 in 43 2/3 innings the year before.
"I know if my walks are up, my ERA also is up (it was 4.00 last year) and I'm having a mediocre year," Miller said.
"My goal in spring training is to attack the strike zone. If I get hit, I get hit. I'm going to pitch to contact and not go to the corner so much and to try to be so fine."
Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch staff contributed to this report
