Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Albert Pujols will return for a 22nd MLB season after reportedly agreeing to a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, per Katie Woo of The Athletic.
The veteran played his first 11 seasons in St. Louis, winning three MVP awards and two World Series title before leaving after the 2011 season.
There was initially some confusion about Pujols’ status beyond last year after his wife, Deidre, wrote on Instagram in February 2021 how “Today is the first day of the last season of one of the most remarkable careers in sports.” She clarified the post to mean the 10-time All-Star was entering the final year of his 10-year, $240 million contract.
The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya subsequently reported Pujols hadn’t made any final decision about his future.
His 2021 season took an unexpected detour in May when the Los Angeles Angels designated him for assignment. He made the short trip north to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers a few weeks later.
In 109 appearances for the two teams, Pujols had 17 home runs, 50 RBI and a .236/.284/.433 slash line.
The 42-year-old is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the greatest first basemen of all time, although the declining production created less of a market in free agency.
The Angels might have moved on from Pujols far earlier were it not for his sizable salary. His climb up the home run chart also provided something for fans to follow. He passed Willie Mays for fifth all time in 2020 and has 679 homers to his name.
The hard truth is that Pujols is no longer somebody you want in your lineup on an everyday basis. According to FanGraphs, he has finished with a negative WAR in each of the past five seasons.
The 10-time All-Star still has some power, but it has come at the cost of his contact.
In 39 games in 2020, he posted career lows in batting average (.224) and on-base percentage (.270). Even attributing some of those struggles to the short season and the hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, his performance in 2019 (23 home runs, 93 RBI and a .244/.305/.430 slash line) wasn’t much better.
Ryan Howard might prove to be a helpful parallel to Pujols’ current situation.
Following the end of the 2016 season, the Philadelphia Phillies ate $10 million to decline his $23 million 2017 option. Howard’s skills had steadily diminished, making his five-year, $125 million extension a millstone on Philadelphia’s payroll.
Upon leaving the Phillies, that was basically it for Howard. He signed minor league contracts with the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies but didn’t play in another MLB game.
The Dodgers gave Pujols another shot, but the financial outlay was small since he took a prorated league minimum while receiving the entirety of his money owed from the Angels.
St. Louis still thought enough of the superstar to give him a new deal, potentially putting the squad closer to a championship after losing in the NL Wild Card game a year ago.
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