Pujols "ends contract talks" ... so what?

St. Louis Cardinals fans are all panicky because first baseman Albert Pujols has said he won't negotiate a new contract by a certain deadline.

So what?

It's simply posturing by Pujols and his agent, Dan Lozano, in an effort to sway public opinion to push the Cardinals to meet what is likely to be a contract demand somewhere in the $30 million per year range.

Bottom line ... Pujols is under contract for all of this season, so he is under the Cardinals' control through October. And there is always the possibility that, if the Cardinals feel they are out of the race by the end of July, they can put him on the trade block.

As a player with 10 years of experience and five with the same team, Pujols has a right to veto such a deal, but would he really do that if the Cardinals are out of the race and he has a chance to showcase himself for a new contract in a pennant race?

If so, then maybe the Cardinals really need to look elsewhere for a new first baseman.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz echoed the point on Sunday that I've been making for some time.

Putting it my way, Pujols needs to decide what he wants for the rest of his baseball career. Does he want to remain in St. Louis, as he has continually insisted, or does he want to chase a megabucks contract?

The Cardinals need to know, and St. Louis fans need to know.

If Pujols wants to stay in St. Louis and join Stan Musial as a Cardinals' legend, then he will accept a little less on the contract. If he wants to pursue an Alex Rodriguez-type contract, it's time to say "good riddance" in October.

As Miklasz puts it, Pujols can walk with Stan the Man or he can walk with A-Rod.

Really, now, if Pujols is wanting a 10-year, $300 million contract as is rumored, who is going to pay it?

The Yankees? They have Mark Teixieira signed to a long-term deal, as do the Red Sox with recent trade acquisition Adrian Gonzalez. Neither team is likely to want to sign a $30 million designated hitter.

At one point, I thought the Angels might be an option, but they have taken on Vernon Wells' albatross contract.

That leaves, perhaps, the Mets and Cubs. And I have my doubts about those, too.

Really, who is going to give Pujols, who is allegedly 31, a contract that takes him to past 40? And just because the Phillies gave Ryan Howard, admittedly an inferior player to Pujols, a $25 million per year deal doesn't mean another team has to top it.

Pujols and Lozano can posture all they want, but they can also accept the fact that the Cardinals don't have to make them a contract offer, and there isn't another team that can for months.

And remember, this is a verbal line in the sand. Those have long been made to be erased.