Two days after broadly hinting at frustration with the Cardinals' approach toward her husband's high-profile free agency, Deidre Pujols insisted Monday that the club never guaranteed a 10-year offer to three-time National League MVP Albert Pujols.

During a lengthy morning interview with local Christian radio station KLJY (99.1 FM), Deidre Pujols described the Cardinals' initial five-year, $130 million offer as an "insult" and inconsistent with the club's oft-stated desire to keep her husband as "a Cardinal for life." She also said she believes the city has "absolutely been deceived" by media reports regarding the Cardinals' level of commitment.

Monday night, a source with the Cardinals maintained that the team did guarantee a 10-year contract for Pujols. That definition also could include a player-controlled option or series of options.

Pujols agreed to terms Thursday with the Los Angeles Angels on a 10-year, $254 million contract and appeared Saturday at a news conference in Anaheim, Calif., to announce the signing.

Blowback has been swift and, in some cases, severe. Deidre Pujols suggested that a number of people have used the Bible to criticize their decision.

"The devil has overplayed his hand because I have Christian folk trying to throw the Word in my face," she said.

The couple acknowledged Saturday afternoon that local support for their St. Louis-based Pujols Family Foundation has already eroded. Deidre Pujols said she has "never seen hatred spread so fast, and I understand why. Let me say that Albert and I never, not one time, intended to leave the city."

Neither Albert nor Deidre Pujols took exception to descriptions of the Cardinals' offer during a series of interviews following Saturday's news conference.

Deidre Pujols suggested to the radio station that misperceptions about the Cardinals' offer probably have fed the backlash.

She insisted that at no time did the Cardinals make a 10-year guarantee but did not elaborate on what the club did offer beyond the introductory five-year framework.

"It just didn't work out," she said. "The offers that people have seen on television, I'm going to tell you what, had that offer been the one that was given us, with guarantees, we would (be back with) the birds on the bat."

Club officials declined to directly address the assertion that the offer was not guaranteed.

"Obviously the process was fluid and a lot of different things were getting thrown out as we reached the final hour," said general manager John Mozeliak. "But we understood the economics of this and knew we were reaching a point that was becoming uncomfortable."

The Cardinals' initial five-year bid stunned the Pujolses, who eventually insisted on being part of every teleconference call with Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., Mozeliak and Pujols' longtime agent, Dan Lozano. The couple contrasted the enthusiastic approach exhibited by Angels owner Arte Moreno with DeWitt's more reserved, clinical tack.

The couple later gave an extended interview to KSDK (Channel 5) and reiterated many of the same comments made during and after Saturday's introductory news conference at Angels Stadium.

While describing Moreno's aggressive, personal approach to negotiations, the former Cardinals first baseman said, "We just heard something that was different from business."

Deidre Pujols, who spoke at length Saturday with the Post-Dispatch about her impressions of the process, could not be reached for further comment Monday.

A family representative said the Pujolses were "ready to move on" and didn't anticipate further rehash of negotiations.

Any suggestion that Pujols would have accepted the Cardinals' bid as reported — 10 years guaranteed for $210 million — seems surprising given the club's inability to interest him in a nine-year, $198 million offer in January. Pujols rejected the offer before entering spring training and refused to discuss his pending free agency during the season.

The Pujolses insisted Saturday that they were interested in a long-term commitment that would allow Albert to avoid free agency late in his career. The Cardinals at one point tried to argue for a shorter term by reminding Pujols he could again exploit free agency after five or seven years. Team Pujols hardly interpreted it as a selling point.

"What I'm saying is, it wasn't a guaranteed situation," Deidre Pujols told the radio station. "When you have somebody say, 'We want you to be a Cardinal for life' and only offer you a five-year deal, it kind of confused us."

She described feeling "a lot of mixed emotions" during the subsequent television interview, which didn't specifically address terms of the Cardinals' offer.

The Pujolses actively participated in his negotiations, at times asking pointed questions of DeWitt and Mozeliak, who seemed less inclined to commit to the personal service deal Moreno had offered.

In comments to the radio station, Deidre Pujols added: "Well, we got over that insult (of a five-year offer) and felt like Albert had given so much of himself to baseball and the community that he at least deserved the opportunity to have real lifelong ... I tell you what: We didn't want to go through this again. Free agency, it's stressful."

The Angels' overwhelming bid does not incorporate deferred money, according to sources familiar with the terms. The Cardinals' 10-year proposal deferred $30 million without interest.

"I'm sorry it had to come down to this," Albert Pujols told KSDK sports director Rene Knott on Monday.

Referring to the Angels' bid during an interview with KMOX radio Monday night, DeWitt said, "There was no way we could approach that."

The club's position disappointed the player, who insisted Monday he had no expectation of leaving the organization and the city even after talks broke off in February. Deidre Pujols described during the 30-minute television interview a process in which her husband virtually pleaded with DeWitt to make it possible for him to commit the rest of his career and beyond to the Cardinals.

"That's how passionate Albert was," she said. "We wanted to stay."

DeWitt could not be reached for comment following his radio appearance.

Mozeliak said Monday that the Cardinals "recognize a decision has been made and we honor that. We wish Albert and his family nothing but success with the Los Angles Angels."