His first name is Albert and he recently signed a contract with
the Los Angeles Angels.

 That’s most of the common ground he shares with that other Albert,
as in Pujols, the first baseman whose early December deal with the
Angels is worth more than $250 million.

Albert Sandoval is a former East High School athlete, Colorado
State University-Pueblo pitcher and minor league strength and
conditioning instructor for the Colorado Rockies.

In a sense, like Pujols, Sandoval was a free agent who signed with
another major-league team.

Recently, the 26-year-old Sandoval was offered a contract to work
for the Angels organization as the strength and conditioning for
their Double-A affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers. It was a position
he couldn’t pass up.

Sandoval has been in Pueblo since Thanksgiving and was planning to
return for another season in Tulsa until . . .

“I got a phone call from one of my buddies with the Angels who just
got the strength and conditioning coordinator job,” Sandoval said.
“As soon as he got the job, he called and asked me if I’d like to
pursue a job with the Angels.

 Sandoval eventually got that job, ending his relationship with the
Rockies organization that began in 2008 with the rookie league team
in Casper, Wyo., then the Double-A club in Tulsa in 2009. He also
worked with the big-league players in Denver in the offseason for
two years.

 ”It’s very bittersweet,” Sandoval said. “I loved the Rockies
organization and loved my time there. They treated me with
respect.

“But this game is a business. You have to take care of
yourself.”

Before starting with the Angels at spring training in February,
Sandoval will head to Tempe, Ariz., to work with major- and
minor-league players.

On Thursday, Sep. 29, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported that the Los Angeles Angels’ 10-year deal with Albert Pujols is backloaded to enable the club to sign free agent pitcher C.J. Wilson.

Pujols will have a base salary of $12 million for 2012 and $16 million for 2013, but he will eventually make more than $30 million annually by the end of his contract.

Honestly, I’m not sure what to think of this report. I think there’s a strong possibility Pujols won’t play out his contract. If so, I doubt he’ll ever see all of the estimated $250 million-plus he agreed to when he signed with the club. However, if Pujols finishes his contract, I have to think the Angels are going to be in trouble.

The Angels aren’t the New York Yankees. They can’t swallow $30 million dollars annually in the final years of Pujols’s contract and expect to compete for a championship. I understand that’s the price the team had to pay to get both Wilson and Pujols, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I hope owner Arte Moreno continues to find way to bring income into the club, or else the Angels’ window to be contenders could close rapidly.

However, there’s also a good chance that Pujols doesn’t play out his contract. If that happens, then Pujols’s contract gives the Angels a tremendous break. If Pujols only plays six or seven years with the team, then the Angels will have signed him at a bargain price with the flexibility to sign other free agents.

I’m not sure how the Pujols contract will work out in the end, but I still think the team made the right decision to make the deal. By signing Pujols and Wilson, the Angels made themselves serious World Series contenders alongside the Texas Rangers and the Yankees. I just hope it works out well for the club long-term. Since, Pujols’s contract is backloaded, this deal could either be great for the Angels, or it could become a back-breaker. But with a little luck, the Angels and Pujols will both get what they want out of the deal.

Derek Ciapala has been a fan of the Angels since childhood. His favorite Angels moment is when they won the 2002 World Series in seven games over the San Francisco Giants. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

By Sports Direct

POSTED: 5:55 am MST December 30, 2011UPDATED: 6:00 am MST December 30, 2011

When Albert Pujols signed his 10-year, $254 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, he agreed to take less money the first two years of the deal to help his new club land another prize catch this winter.

Pujols left the St. Louis Cardinals for the Angels’ backloaded deal — taking significantly less money in 2012 and 2013 — to aid the Angels in their pursuit of free agent pitcher C.J. Wilson, baseball sources told ESPN.com.

Pujols will make a base salary of $12 million in 2012 and $16 million in 2013, said a source. His salary will gradually increase until it surpasses $30 million annually near the end of the deal.

The dollar amounts the first two years of the contract approximate what Pujols was making with the Cardinals each season of his seven-year, $100-million deal with St. Louis.

By agreeing to take less money up front, Pujols helped the Angels sign Wilson, who reached agreement on a five-year, $77.5 million deal three weeks ago.

Sources said Pujols’ deal could peak at about $265 million if he attains some reachable award bonuses and milestone incentives. A source confirmed a recent Yahoo! Sports report that Pujols will receive $3 million from the Angels for his 3,000th hit and $7 million if he breaks Barry Bonds’ career record of 762 home runs.

Pujols, a nine-time All-Star and three-time MVP with the Cardinals, will enter this season with 2,073 career hits and 445 home runs.

The language in Pujols’ contract has taken longer than usual to finalize, according to a source, because the deal includes a personal services contract with the Angels once his playing days are done.

Albert Pujols agreed to backload his 10-year, $250 million contract to help the Los Angeles Angels sign free-agent pitcher C.J. Wilson, ESPN reported Thursday, citing sources.

Pujols will make significantly less money in the first two years of the contract, which is one of the most lucrative in professional sports history.

The slugger will reportedly make a base salary of $12 million in 2012 and $16 million in 2013, with the salary gradually increasing until he makes over $30 million a year towards the end of the deal.

The backloading of the contract allowed the Angels to sign Wilson to a five-year, $77 million deal, the sources said.

Pujols, who turns 32 next month, departed St. Louis after 11 brilliant seasons, including World Series titles in 2006 and 2011. The nine-time All-Star has a career average of .328, with 445 home runs.

The 31-year-old Wilson went 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA in 2011 and helped lead the Texas Rangers to their second consecutive World Series appearance. The converted closer is 31-15 over the past two seasons, his first two as a starter.