Is a return to St. Louis in the playing cards for Pujols?
March 27th, 2022
Albert Pujols will constantly be remembered essentially for his elegant flee with the Cardinals from 2001-11, a span wherein he won three National League MVP Awards and modified into already blueprint of as a lock for the Hall of Repute.
Following a decade spent with the Angels and half a season with the Dodgers in 2021, the 42-One year-primitive Pujols has said that he needs to proceed taking part in as he nears the 700-home flee milestone. (He has hit 679 to this point.)
Could possibly he terminate his swish profession where it started?
In accordance with a file in The Athletic, the Cardinals have had “increased conversations” with Pujols about bringing him wait on to St. Louis, and “ardour is rising” in making a reunion a actuality. The club has no longer confirmed the file.
Pujols compiled a 1.037 OPS with 445 home runs in his 11 seasons with the Cardinals, serving to St. Louis take the World Sequence in 2006 and ’11. Along the vogue, there had been limitless iconic moments, including a two-out, plod-ahead three-flee homer off the Astros’ Brad Lidge in the ninth inning of Sport 5 of the 2005 NL Championship Sequence, and a 3-homer efficiency in Sport 3 of the 2011 World Sequence towards the Rangers.
Sooner than the 2012 season, Pujols signed a 10-One year, $254 million contract with the Angels, with whom he hit 222 more home runs over the next decade. The Angels launched Pujols in Could furthermore simply, in some unspecified time in the future of his age-41 season, and he modified into therefore signed by the Dodgers. He proved to be a productive hitter for them, posting a .759 OPS with 12 homers in 204 plate appearances.
In accordance with The Athletic file, if Pujols does re-signal with the Cardinals, he would no longer be an each day player, with six-time All-Neatly-known particular person slugger Paul Goldschmidt manning first depraved. As a substitute, Pujols would reportedly motivate as an accurate-handed bat off the bench to counterpoint the left-handed bench bat of Corey Dickerson, whom the Cards signed closing week.
Will Pujols return to St. Louis to resume his hotfoot for 700 homers and wind down his legendary profession? It be an inviting likelihood.