Pujols' Self-Imposed Deadline Falls by the Wayside

So, the deadline Pujols had set for the Cardinals to get a deal done in the 2010-2011 off-season has passed.  Albert told reporters that the Cards had until this morning at 11:00CT if they wanted to lock up a deal before the 2011 season.  They will now have to wait until the regular season is over to resume negotiations with Pujols.  I have to admit, I am 100% surprised by this.  I knew the likelihood of getting a deal done was fading, but I never really thought there was a chance that they would let him hit free agency after this season.  But the more I think about it, the more I have to look at the Cards' future as a team.  The reality is that paying the kind of money that this deal will require is going to seriously jeopardize the re-signings of Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Yadier Molina: essentially the core of the team, minus Matt Holliday.  And we haven't been able to get deep into the playoffs since the '06 World Series even with the rest of those players, so how will we be able to get there without them and with no money to go get anyone else?  Maybe I was too hopeful for a deal before this season, and now I'm just being pessimistic.  I don't really know.  But it's not totally over yet.  The Cards will still have a short window (I believe 1 week) after the season ends with exclusive negotiating rights with Pujols, meaning that other teams will have to wait that week to being negotiations.  And even past that, the Cards could still wind up the highest bidder on the market and win him back.  There are a lot of ways that this could play out, but no matter which one it is, I have to say that I can't imagine Cardinal life without El Hombre.