Cardinals Notes: Pujols, Dotel, Wainwright

With Game 2 about to begin, let's look at some news about the team that is three wins away from its 11th World Series title…

• How would winning or losing the Series impact Albert Pujols' free agent decision?  FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi explores the question in this YouTube video.
• Octavio Dotel told reporters, including Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link), that he would like to return to St. Louis next season.  Though Dotel could set a record by joining his 13th different franchise this winter, it's probably no surprise that he wants to settle down.  The Cardinals have a $3.5MM team option on Dotel for next season that can be bought out for $750K.  Dotel may be more valuable to the Cards on the open market given that he projects as a Type A free agent.
• Adam Wainwright tried to convince the Cardinals into activating him for the postseason, a request that was emphatically denied, reports R.B. Fallstrom of the Associated Press.  Wainwright underwent Tommy John surgery in February and missed the entire season, though St. Louis GM John Mozeliak recently said that the team plans to pick up Wainwright's $21MM option for 2012-13, barring any medical setbacks.