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.

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.

Read More: Howie Kendrick (2B – ANA), Kendrys Morales (1B – ANA), Erick Aybar (SS – ANA), Alberto Callaspo (3B – ANA), Albert Pujols (1B – ANA), Mark Trumbo (1B – ANA), Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels on Monday announced they would tender contracts to all four of their remaining arbitration eligible players, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. That includes first baseman Kendrys Morales, who has missed the last year and a half after breaking his left ankle.

Morales made $2.975 million in 2011 and missed the entire campaign while recovering from a second surgery on his left ankle, suffered while jumping on home plate to celebrate a walk-off grand slam on May 29, 2010. Morales was a candidate to be non-tendered given the signing of Albert Pujols and the emergence of first baseman Mark Trumbo, who finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year award balloting after hitting .254/.291/.477 while leading the Angels with 29 home runs and 87 RBI in 2011.

Infielders Howie Kendrick (he made $3.3 million in 2011), Erick Aybar ($3 million), and Alberto Callaspo ($2 million) are the other three Angels eligible for salary arbitration in 2011.

For more on the Angels, head over to Halos Heaven.

With the Miami Marlins are out of the running, the Los Angeles Angels reportedly have entered the Albert Pujols sweepstakes. FOXSports.com and the Los Angeles Times both reported Wednesday night that the Angels are in serious pursuit of Pujols, the crown jewel of this year’s free-agent class. The Marlins reportedly pulled their 10-year offer off the table for Pujols earlier Wednesday and instead signed lefthander Mark Buehrle to a four-year contract. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the St. Louis Cardinals offered Pujols a 10-year, $220 million contract to remain with the club. The Chicago Cubs are also said to be in the mix for the 31-year-old slugger. FOXSports.com reported that the Cardinals, Angels and a mystery third team are trying to sign Pujols, while the Los Angeles Times cited two sources who said the Angels are aggressively courting the three-time National League MVP. Pujols reportedly rejected offers from the Cardinals last season that averaged over $20 million annually for nine years. He helped the Cardinals to win their second World Series title in six years, batting .299 with 37 home runs and 99 RBIs. Pujols is the only player in major league history to start his career with 10 straight seasons of at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs and came within one RBI of making it 11 in a row. He is also the first player in major league history to hit 30 homers in each of his first 11 seasons.