How did the darkhorse on both Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson end up signing both of them? The Angels came out of nowhere (did they fall from Heaven?) and signed Pujols for 10 years ($250 million) and Wilson for 5 ($77.5 million), dropping more money this offseason than many teams spend in a decade. Now, in a division that was relatively weak last year, as the Rangers had a pretty big lead for most of the season, two of the biggest free agents enter together and put a big splash on the dynamics of both the division and the MLB. 

The Miami Marlins have been on fire as well this offseason, bringing in the All-Star trio of Jose Reyes (6 years/$106 million), Heath Bell (3 years/$27 million), and Mark Buehrle (4 years/$58 million). Yet with all of these monster free agent signings, there are still many more moves to be made. Many pitchers are being dangled on the market by their GMs, especially the Oakland A's youthful starting rotation and closing pitcher, and James Shields of the Rays. Add that to the availability of Prince Fielder (who seems to have shot himself in the foot after leaving Milwaukee and almost all but guaranteeing he would not be back) and Aramis Ramirez, and we may see a complete power shift in the MLB. Already, despite the defending American League Champion Texas Rangers in the same division, the Angels have to be the frontrunner of the AL West. How can they not be? That rotation is scary good and only getting better, with the top 4 starters all under the age of 31. Is this division better than the AL East?

Well, in one word, no. This team is still unproven and, while it looks great on paper, the Phillies showed us last year why it isn't always about how a team looks on paper. The Angels have the talent, and they have two teams in the division that they can feed upon all season long (the Mariners and my dear Oakland A's) and will have a third in 2013 when the Houston Astros join the AL West. Is 100 wins this season out of the question? Absolutely not. Is 110 out of the question when the Astros join? I think it's a real possibility. 

C.J. Wilson's departure from Texas to another team in the division could be seen as a betrayal, but according to all of what Wilson said, the Rangers weren't throwing him a similar offer. Big Albert, on the other hand, had a 9 year deal worth a reported $190 million offer from St. Louis to stay. Yes, it's not 10 years, $250 million, but c'mon. He just won a World Series with the Cardinals and has spent his entire career there! He could have had his statue built next to Stan "The Man" Musial, been given the keys to the city of St. Louis, and had the perks that only a few people in a lifetime get for showing such loyalty to a city. This reeks of LeBron James from last year, although Pujols didn't make a primetime special to announce it. Still, he meant just as much to St. Louis as James did to the city of Cleveland, especially given Pujols' history in Missouri (he went to high school and college near St. Louis).

Still, it's hard to turn down that much money, especially considering his desire for 10 years instead of 9, a hint that he may be considering the fact that he has a shot at breaking many of the all-time hitting records. To break Bonds' record, he needs to average 32 home runs per season for 10 years. To become only the fourth player to hit 700 career home runs, he needs only 26 home runs a year for the rest of his contract. Considering he has averaged over 40 home runs a season for his 11 year career, those numbers don't seem completely absurd. Yes, he should slow down a little when he hits age 35, 36, 37, but he is still "The Machine." But Pujols' contract also reminds me of another large baseball contract for a player whom many considered the only person who could take down Bonds' record: Alex Rodriguez. At the time when A-Ro(i)d was signed, the talks of how many home runs he needed per year to break the record emerged, and those numbers also seemed somewhat realistic. What happened to him? Injuries, psychological issues, playing for a team that may have put a little too much pressure on him.

However, Pujols has a distinct advantage over A-Rod in this case: he now moves to the American League to a team that has a very young, capable first baseman. What does this mean for him? He can spend the next 10 years at DH and not have to worry about playing any defense, pulling a hamstring running for a slow grounder, or breaking a wrist diving for a ball down the line. The Yankees needed A-Rod to play the field, and his hamstring clearly could not handle that much play, especially when he got off the performance enhancers and his body started to rapidly depreciate. 

Will Albert Pujols be the next home run champ? Will the greatest player of the last decade, who has not been linked to any performance enhancers, take over the most coveted baseball record from a man who has an asterisk next to his record? I don't really know, but I can tell you one thing: I sure hope so.