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In many’s eyes, Albert Pujols is the best baseball player around and quite frankly, his numbers support that claim.  Pujols’ career statistics are superior  than many of the other players that hold down spots on the highest-paid list in the MLB; names such as Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, Derek Jeter and Carlos Beltran.

Here is a list of these players and their current contracts:

If there is one thing that many learned from this season’s NBA Playoffs, it is that Orlando Magic small forward Hedo Turkoglu is a great basketball player. Hedo and his agent Lon Babby have realized this and are using it to their advantage. Turkoglu opted out of his final year with the Magic and has decided, in turn, to test the market. Babby says the market for his client appears to be “robust.”

Yesterday, Shonn Greene signed a 4-year deal with the New York Jets.  I am not a Jets fan and never followed the former Iowa RB closely, so why am I even bringing this up?  It’s because I also happened to come across an excellent post yesterday, concerning the structuring of NFL player contracts for those selected in Day 2 of the draft (rounds 3-7).  Shonn fits that category, as he was selected in the 3rd round of the 2009 NFL Draft, even though many expected the Doak Award Award winner to be off the boards a day earlier.

The MLB Draft occurred just last week, but already, three first-round picks have signed with the teams who picked them.  The disadvantage of signing early is that you forfeit seeing what other players are signing for.  There is a possibility that you sign for less than you could make if you hold out until the deadline.  The positive is that you show goodwill to your signing team and get started within the organization as soon as possible.  Many teams will start you on a higher level, and you will be well on your way up the system while your colleagues are holding out for more money.

Scott Boras has started to put on a show in an effort to pull some leverage out of his hat for Stephen Strasburg’s contract.

Boras is wisely positioning the righty from San Diego State as the next best thing since sliced bread—or Mark Prior, for whom the super-agent negotiated the current record deal for a draft pick of $10.5 million in 2001.

But for the Nationals, is the exceptional numbers that Boras will most certainly ask for really worth it? There is so much uncertainty with players who have yet to step onto a major league field. Injuries were the downfall of Prior and other “can’t miss” prospects like Kris Benson and Brien Taylor. $50 million is a lot of money for a lot of question marks.

The New York Jets and rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez (#2 QB to be drafted in ‘09) agreed to terms on a 5-year $50.5 million contract. Here are some previous “2nd drafted QBs” dating back to 2005 and their respective contracts:

• 2008 – Joe Flacco (5-year, $11.9 million)
• 2007 – Brady Quinn (5-year, $9.25 million)
• 2006 – Matt Leinart (6-year, $50.8 million)
• 2005 – Aaron Rodgers (6-year, $65 million)

This contract will make Sanchez the highest-paid New York Jet in organization history.

Previously, I wrote a piece on attendance clauses in contracts of professional sports players. Recently, a story broke which touched upon my analysis.

Drew Rosenhaus, agent of Eagles Tight End Cornelius Ingram, said via his Twitter account, “…we have just agreed to terms on a 4 year deal for rookie TE Cornelius Ingram.” This is great news for Eagles fans and can be seen as great news for other rookie tight ends who are currently awaiting contracts.

A friend of mine recently told me to connect with another young man doing it big in this industry.  His name is J.I. Halsell, and has four years of experience working with NFL contracts.  Halsell spent 2 seasons as the Salary Cap Analyst for the Washington Redskins after working for 2 years with the NFL’s labor relations department, the Management Council.  He now has a blog called Inside The Cap, which looks like a good addition to my long list of RSS feeds.

Many of you are well aware that Dynasty did not have any of its clients selected in the 2009 NFL Draft.  I cannot say that I am all that surprised, considering that it was our first year giving it a try.  We definitely learned a lot from the process and hope to improve on our results next year.  That being said, just because you do not have a client drafted, does not mean that the world is crumbling down on your clients and your practice.  In fact, many players are signed as free-agents right after the culmination of the draft and others are invited to team mini-camps for tryouts.

You all saw last year as Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long signed a 5-year, $57.75 million deal prior to the 2008 NFL Draft. Well, when Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford was signed early this past weekend, I wasn’t shocked. Stafford was signed to a 6-year, $72 million contract. Rather than bore you with the always-available aspects of Stafford’s deal, I will compare this contract to those of first chosen quarterbacks of the past.

2009: Matthew Stafford - 6 years, $72 million

2008: QB not drafted 1st overall

2007: JaMarcus Russell - 6 years, $61 million

Before this past season, many doubted that Byron Leftwich would ever start or even see playing time for any NFL team. But after starting a couple games in ‘08 for Steelers’ injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a small portion of optimism was served up to myself and other football fans.

Right now is my favorite time of the year.  The weather is beautiful, classes are winding down, and baseball season is underway!  There has been a lot of talk about how the economy has and will continue to affect the business of sports.  While less tickets will be sold in every sport, I do not think that baseball will be hurt as bad as many believe.  Teams are taking protective measures just in case, though.