Slugger Albert Pujols essentially has two years left on his current Cardinals deal, a final contract year plus a team option year the franchise would exercise.

Running back Steven Jackson is in the second year of a six-year, $44 million contract with the Rams.

Some Cards fans believe their club should deal Pujols this winter, while his trade value is at its peak.

Some Rams fans believe their club should move Jackson, if not by Tuesday’s trade deadline -– a tricky proposition, due to salary cap rules -– then after the season.

Both proposals come up often on my live chats at STLtoday.com. Sports fans love to propose blockbuster trades, even if the deals could prove ruinous to their teams.

These cases are dramatically different, due to the contrasting state of the two franchises. The Cardinals expect to contend the next few years, while the Rams are in rebuild mode.

In both cases, though, the local teams should hang onto their cornerstone players.

Pujols is the best hitter of his generation. He will command top dollar on his next contract, but the Cards should earn enough revenue to cover that.

This ballclub should make every attempt to extend his contract. If that proves impossible, the Cards should make the most of his next two seasons and then deal with his free agency after the 2011 season.

Worst case scenario: The Cards contend for two more seasons, then get compensatory draft picks when he leaves for New York -– plus $20 million or so per season to spend on new players.

Best case scenario: The Cards contend for two more seasons and extend Albert along the way, allowing him to continue his record-setting career in St. Louis.

Sure, the Cards could get a lot by trading Albert. But there are other ways to add talent, besides moving the top hitter in the sport.

Albert would eat up a huge chunk of the payroll if he got a market-value extension. But if the farm system produces as expected, the team will keep finding kids like Brendan Ryan and Colby Rasmus to fill in around him.

It’s one thing to deal a J.D. Drew at the right time for the right package, as Walt Jocketty so astutely did. It’s another thing to deal Pujols in his athletic prime. Top franchises just don’t do that.

The Rams are NOT a top franchise, obviously, but Billy Devaney and Co. should reject trade inquiries about Jackson.

This team has let potential Hall of Famers leave in their twilight years. Isaac Bruce was the first to go, followed by Torry Holt and Orlando Pace.

Jackson is just 26 years old. Unlike Kurt Warner, who was 33 when he exited the Rams, he is still at his physical peak six years into his NFL career.

The Rams have been terrible with him the past 2½ seasons. Fans argue that the team could be just as terrible without him -– and that his departure could yield long-range assets that could speed the rebuilding process.

But is anybody excited about the Rams acquiring more draft picks? Shouldn’t the front office prove it can absolutely crush the draft before it even considers such a swap?

Here’s the other thing: The Rams franchise is for sale. Jackson is the franchise’s top athletic asset. His presence makes the team more marketable.

The challenge for this regime -– or the next one, if a new owner looks at the won-loss record and hits the restart button -– is to quickly rebuild around Jackson.

Why create one more enormous hole in the roster? If the Rams had a budding young running back behind Jackson, fine, but does any team have less impressive depth at this position?

Elite players are difficult to come by. Whenever a team gets a rare talent, it should hang onto it as long as it is feasible.

You have seen many Hall of Fame-caliber players leave their teams while still in their athletic prime. How often does this work well for the team?

How did dealing Brendan Shanahan, Brett Hull and Chris Pronger work out for the Blues? How did that Steve Carlton trade work out for the Cards? How did swapping Eric Dickerson work out for the Rams in Los Angeles?

In each case, the outcome was bad. The Cards and Rams need to keep their best players and go from there.