Following last week’s abrupt DFA, future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols has cleared release waivers and is now a free agent, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. He’s free to sign with any club.
It’s not a surprise to see Pujols go unclaimed, given that any team that claimed him would have also been on the hook for the remainder of the $30MM salary he’s owed this year in the final season of a 10-year, $240MM contract. Now that he’s a free agent, the Angels are on the hook for that salary regardless of where he ends up playing. A new team need only pay the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time spent in the big leagues, and that sum would be subtracted from what the Angels owe him.
The decision to part ways with Pujols was sudden and unexpected, even in spite of the aging slugger’s diminished performance. Following the move, Angels brass addressed reporters and explained that the split was agreed upon after the Angels approached Pujols about a reduction in playing time (link via The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya).
“The guy wanted to play, wants to be on the field,” manager Joe Maddon said of Pujols. “He does not want to be a bench player of any kind. This guy’s got a lot of pride, and that’s a big reason why he’s going to be a first-ballot, unanimous Hall of Famer. There’s no question about that.”
Of course, it’s hard to imagine Pujols being dropped into an everyday role with another club. Most National League teams wouldn’t want to play him at first base every day given his range and mobility (or lack thereof). And given the fact that he’s only produced a .198/.250/.372 slash in 2021 and a .240/.289/.405 line since 2016, he’s a tough sell as a regular designated hitter in the American League.
While Pujols’ bat has been anemic, there are some more positive indicators in his overall offensive profile. He’s been plagued by a tiny .176 average on balls in play in 2021, and while some of that is to be expected since he’s less likely than your average hitter to beat out any sort of hit on the ground, he’s also gone hitless on fly-balls that stay in the yard. The league average on non-homer fly-balls is .109.
Pujols’ average exit velocity (90.5 mph) is its best since 2016, as his rate of barreled balls, as measured by Statcast. He’s only walked three times in 92 plate appearances, which is an obvious concern for someone who should be a bat-first player at this point of his career, but his 14.1 percent strikeout rate is also much smaller than the league average. Based on the frequency and quality of Pujols’ contact, Statcast gives him an “expected” .265 average and a similarly heartening .511 “expected” slugging percentage. Those numbers can change in a hurry, given the small nature of the sample, but there’s reason to believe he might yet have some productive at-bats in him.
Then again, given his lack of defensive and baserunning value, Pujols would need to be considerably better than a league-average hitter to hold much appeal, even at a league-minimum rate. He hasn’t been that — or even been particularly close to it — since the conclusion of a 2016 season in which he batted .268/.323/.457 with 31 homers.
give him 1 yr 6 million
Why. I can’t see a bidding war which is what would have to happen for it to get to that point.
If he gets more than the minimum I’ll be surprised. I put it at 50/50 that he’s done.
He can’t get more than the minimum with a new team. His salary is set under his Angels contract. Any team that signs him only pays him the prorated minimum.
It’s pretty funny you actually make more money underperforming on a huge contract, since you would get a second small contract in addition to the money the Angels are already paying, than if you way over performed, and you just get the value of the contract.
He’s making the same amount. Any money paid to him by a new team is subtracted from the total the Angels owe him (as the post indicates, ha).
He won’t get more. He gets the same amount, if someone signs him, they would pay the league minimum, which would be subtracted from what the angels have to pay him.
Hey Steve: I’ve mentioned in several articles over the past couple of months that “reading is fundamental”. You SPECIFICALLY noted in this article the contact situation (obligation). Do you have a “face palm moment” when so many people simply disregard facts that are staring right at them?
not correct, the new team pays minimum and Angel pay the rest
larry48 is correct on this any player dfa’ed/released the team that signed him is on the hook for the contract, any team that picks up said player (in this case pujols) only has to pay the league minimum (and it might also be pro rated depending on when the team picks up a player but don’t quote on that it’s the one part of the rule i’m fuzzy on)
Steve, I’ve ready your article and your additional posts and when you say that “he can’t get more than the minimum with a new team” I don’t quite understand. What is to prevent two teams from getting into a bidding war where one team outbids the other with a $3 million offer. Wouldn’t the high bidder still pay the pro-rated minimal salary but then be responsible for the full amount of their high bid? If not, isn’t that a flaw in the CBA which prevents a player from achieving his full monetary potential?
No I don’t believe you can have a bidding war for a new contract when a player is already under contract. You can’t double up on contracts. But Steve probably knows better than me.(and why would anyone pay Pujols more than league minimum at this point anyway? He’s terrible)
There canNOT be a bidding war. He can only receive the prorated minimum salary from any new club, which is subtracted from the remaining salary owed to him and paid by the Angels. They can only bid playing time and/or a chance at winning, essentially. He cannot make any money on top of what he his already contracted at.
As has been said NUMEROUS times in this post.
There can’t be a bidding war unless he was to get more than the 30 million the angels owe him. He gets to choose where he wants to play, that is if any team is crazy enough to sign him.
He could look to sign a 2 year deal, with the 2nd year promising 6 million, or maybe with an exorbitant 2nd year club option with a 6 million buyout, just to make more cash.
Yes, as I already indicated I have seen the NUMEROUS references that he can’t get more than the minimum with a new team. My point was that if this is true then the CBA
is flawed in that it prevents a player from achieving his full monetary potential (as he would through a bidding war). Probably not a clause that Marvin Miller would have agreed to back in the day.
Not that Pujols deserves $30+ million – I’m just saying’
Nobody will sign Pujols
How do? He’s signed for $30m this year, as is any player in his position being signed for whatever amount. He’s still getting $30 million for the season, no matter where he signs or even if he doesn’t sign. They get guaranteed contracts. Not all sports do. The trade-off, if you wanna look at it as one, is that they can’t get sign other contracts on top of the guaranteed amount (contracted bonus and incentives excluded, of course). There’s no “he’s not getting his monetary worth”. He signed a deal for a certain amount per year. He’s getting THAT amount for the year.
You’re making no sense, whatsoever.
If you’re under contract you’re under contract. Doubling up and playing under two separate, but equally enforceable contracts at the same time is bad business and an odd thing to expect to be able to do. To put it another way: he was released because he was NOT effectively living up to the contract. If someone else wants to pay him 3 million and I’m the Angels, I say, fine, but that 3 million is coming off the contract we’re currently getting nothing from, yet still obligated to pay. Just think about it, what you’re asking would never work and it would be a dumb hill for the union to fight on.
Pour one out for Albert.
Many NFL contracts include offset language for if a player is cut.. If I remember correctly, Rowquan Smith held out from signing his rookie contract until offset language was included allowing him to double dip if he were cut.
I think you’re not comparing against the actual alternative. Compare and contrast:
In MLB, a player being released gets full salary, and knowing that they’re at a low point, are suddenly affordable to every team, and can sign with anyone they choose based on what team has the best opportunity
In the NBA, players are allowed to “double dip” which is one of the reasons you see guys like Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond have to negotiate pay cuts to get out of their deal. The cutting team argues they can make it back. Additionally, a veteran in the NBA requires a higher salary than a rookie, so signing teams have to actually be willing to commit real money, which can be multiplied by the luxury tax.
In the NFL, they cut you without giving you any more money at all.
The system works well for MLBPA because vets in these situations are already at a very low point value wise. If they were allowed to make money on top, it would be subject to veteran minimum increases, and would discourage teams from even trying to sign them. By essentially being on equal footing with every minor league call up/rookie in the league, they potentially get more chances to redeem themselves, and perhaps get themselves a new contract the next year.
@HarryO
IINM, technically there could be a bidding war with Pujols going to the highest bidder. However, he’s not going to be paid twice. Meaning if the Angels still owe him $30M and his new team signs him for $2M, he’s still only collecting $30M. $2M from his new team, and $28M from the Angels. Therefore, unless there’s a team willing to give him more than $30M, (if there was such a case they would have claimed him) Pujols isn’t gaining anything by signing for more than the league minimum.
Nope. The new team cannot offer more than the prorated portion of the league minimum, which is then subtracted from Angels remaining amount owed to Albert.
Why can nobody understand this? It has been explained repeatedly. Also, y’all are on the internet. Google it. Why does everybody feel like they know something that one quick search can immediately prove them wrong about?
NFL contracts are not fully guaranteed unless negotiated, and even then, it’s not usually the entire amount.
MLB contracts (not the initial minor league contract signed when drafted, signed as an international FA or any other minor league deal signed thereafter) are automatically FULLY guaranteed.
Whats stopping them? The rules.
Nah man, his full earning potential is the amount of his contract. If he had the ability to earn even more than that, he could. But he shouldn’t get his 30 mil plus whatever else a new team might pay him, that’s nonsense.
His “full monetary potential” for this season was $30 mil. He will reach that. The only thing left to see is if it will be just the Angels paying that or if another team decides that they need a 52 year old 1B/DH and assumes some of the Angels debt.
It’s an easy concept to grasp, not sure why you don’t get it.
I guess people either cannot read or choose not to.
You are exactly right. There can’t be a bidding war. If multiple teams offer him a contract, the money is the same. He can choose the team that appeals to him the most. Probably one that offers a certain amount of playing time. Not sure it will happen. Hate for his great career to end this way.
Arte is that you?
Dodgers did.
OK, my question, which your post of last night doesn’t answer. WHY the Dodgers unless crosstown revenge of some sort? ESPECIALLY with them also snagging Tsutsugo, he’ll play no more there than he did for the Haloes.
I would LOVE for someone to ask Albert “why” and try to get an honest answer on the playing time issue. socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2021/05/pujols-to-dodg…
worst record get him if more than one claim. .
He didn’t get claimed. Nobody was gonna claim him because then THEY, and not the Angels, would be responsible for paying his entire remaining salary.
i agree with angelsadvocate any team that grabs #5 only pays the prorated min, laa is on the hook for his 30mil. tbh you should of done a little research before you made your comment, it has always been the team that releases player x picks up the tab. the movie moneyball has a line that says it best. bean to justice “your wrong the nyy are paying you not to play for them”. that is how jb contracts have worked in the last 25 years.
I can’t wait for the bidding war. So how does this work exactly, do the GMs get on a zoom call and it’s like an auction? “I got a million here with 2 starts a week, do I see 3? I see 1.5M with 10 at bats a week, do I see 12?” This sounds like fun…especially for those that actually think any of this is possible. I’m actually torn, I want to joke about this, but I also kinda hope that I get a response of someone trying to explain to me that this cannot happen…I get it. I bet the royals bid the most, they should just hold the paddle up during the call…I say 3M and 16 at bats a week should win the day.
THERE. IS. NO. BID.
Seriously. Read before posting.
He can only sign for the (pro-rated) portion of the league minimum. THAT amount is then subtracted from the remainder of the $30m he is contractually owed from the Angels. If he does not sign anywhere else, then the Angels pay all of it. He canNOT sign anywhere else for more than the minimum and canNOT make more (or less excluding a fines/suspensions) than the $30m he signed for in his contract with the Angels.
So again, for the millionth time in this thread, NO TEAM CAN SIGN HIM FOR MORE THAN THE LEAGUE MINIMUM. THAT AMOUNT IS SUBTRACTED FROM WHAT ANGELS OWE HIM WHICH MEANS, REGARDLESS, HE WILL EARN NO MORE, AND NO LESS, THAN THE CONTRACTED $30 MILLION.
No one in the comments section predicted the Dodgers. Not a single person.
Are you stupid?
yes he is most likely he lived under power lines
It was a fine career for Pujols. I remember buying a Pujols rookie card way back (I cannot even remember which one) then flipping it on eBay awhile later and actually coming out ahead. Probably time for Albert to call it quits. He was a feared hitter in his prime.
Lmao lg min if he gets a job at all. I kno he wants to get to 700 but I don’t see him getting the chance
let the bidding war begin…
LOL
No bidding war. Chisox will just sign him with a short term 4 year contract.
there will be no bidding war, he can only get the league min. and at this point it’s up to him where he plays. i.e does he still want be a starter/eday player or a bench guy. if he wants to be a eday player then he is playing for a dog like pit or balt, if he wants another ring then he’s a bench guy and his best shot at that is with the cards.
by no means the birds win or get to the ws i’m just saying his best chance at a third ring is with the birds. yes we’re not favorites but we have a solid team that can sneak in if things fall in place for my birds
Correct the only “bidding” that could take place is situational. Teams can offer him a chance to start at first base, or DH, or a bench role but a shot at a ring. Things like that. They can’t offer anymore money.
gotta be on the cardinals for a bench bat
No thanks.
No thanks is right. The Cardinals are already stuck with the lefty version in Matt Carpenter. The Cardinals are trying to win. Not sure why Carpenter is used as a pinch hitter when the pitchers are clearly better hitters. Pujols wouldn’t be much better. Just say good bye to Pujols, he’s only interested in chasing stats anyway, if he can figure out how to get them.
If he can hit 200 that’s double what Carp is doing for them. Pujols still has some power. As a fan it would be fun to see him in St Louis, but only off the bench at this point.
Which he’s not willing to be, otherwise the Angels wouldn’t have cut him.
don’t get me wrong i loved #5 when he was in stl but atm we don’t need him, we already have a dead bat in carp (and i really hope carp bounces back but honestly he’s done). honestly where do you fit #5 with the cards because your not playing him over goldy, and is 5 better than the big Lebowsk. if the birds weren’t serious contenders this year and doing a soft rebuild then i would say pick him up and give him a farewell but that’s not the case.
note i’m not by any means saying cards are favorites are going to win a ws but that they have a legitimate shot at a ws this year.
Matt Carpenter isn’t a pimple on Albert Pujols’ ass, even today I’d take Albert over the joke that Matt Carpenter is. You can get out any statistics you’d like, you’re a fool if you wouldn’t want a revitalized Albert Pujols coming off the bench in clutch ab’s.
Revitalized?? There’s the rub.
This article does a great job of polishing a turd. I’m surprised more people haven’t pressed him on his age I guarantee he is 45/46 years old and a large reason to why he can’t see the ball or make solid contact.
You guarantee it, yet no one has been able to prove the rumors about his age for the last 15 years. That’s all it is, a rumor that somehow can’t be substantiated by anyone in the DR who knew him growing up.
dudeman – you’re correct that it’s only a rumor. And, the rumor is that he’s a couple of years older than his recognized age. Not 4 or 5 years older as Tatsumaki says.
But, given the situation it’s a very likely rumor.
– He’s from the DR and until recently, players’ ages were suspect because of the extra money involved in being a young stud when signed.
– Birth records/certificates in the DR were also hard to come by, so faking your age has been easy historically.
– Pujols has made statements in the past that insinuated that he was actually older, as has his wife.
– Pujols is a god in the DR so no one is going to rat him out.
It’s all academic anyways because I’ll guarantee you that the Angels knew what his real age was before signing him. They recognized that the out-years were a sunk cost.
Lastly, players with his body type tend to regress faster than smaller guys. And, around 35 years old was always seen as most players’ falloff age (until steroids f’ed everything up).
Tatsumaki has, from time to time, outlandish, borderline troll takes. Just take whatever he says with a grain of salt.
youtu.be/m2wKgkcl_HY
Several prominent players (Ruben tejada, wandy Rodriguez) from dr have lied about there age, it’s all about marketing and being able to land a large contract. Teams are looking for 17/18 year olds not a 21-22 with limited upside. Hes had several slip ups in interviews including in 2018 saying he is 2/3 years younger than dotel who’s 47.5 years old. Your excuse isn’t good enough, and age explains the decline at the plate.
Miguel Tejada
Doesnt really mater to me but you cant tell me el duque hernandez wasnt in his 50s.
also pujols played hs ball in kc area iirc his family moved to the states around that time and also was a prospect that 30 teams passed on untill the late rounds. also i apologize that i don’t have hard facts to back this up but i’m going off memory of past games when he was cutting his teeth in the mlb and that’s what the guys on tv said.
It’s a very unlikely rumor. When he came to the US there was no reason to lie about his age. In the Dominican, if he was a prospect, which he wasn’t, then sure. But since he wasn’t, who was going to doctor the records for a boy that wasn’t a prospect?
And why would he lie coming to the US? And if he was a men among boys in high school, then why did no one notice? Not MLB or colleges
And of course you have all the legal headaches.
It doesn’t make any sense,
Right, it’s just a rumor. It’s based on the false notion that he declined too early when he declined right along with normal aging trends. (Well, that and that a lot of folks think they can assume any Dominican possibly fudged their age, but let’s not get into that motivation)
Has there ever been a player who played multiple years of high school, went completely unnoticed by colleges and MLB, who went to JC, drafted very late, made an all star team, and later it was discovered he lied about his age.
And if Pujols is unique, then the assumption he lied about his age, based on something that has never happened, is a huge leap.
@halo and cosmo2 tbh i think the rumors of #5 age became a thing because his appearance makes him look older. heck look at lebron he looks like his 45 but he is really 35, or that kid you went to hs with and in the 10th grade he looked like he was in his late 20’s. when i was in the usaf my good buddy was 28 but looked like he was 12, outside appearance has nothing to do with age. there are many people out there that look older/younger than they are
In the DR, which isn’t exactly a pristinely governed country, birth certificates can be filed essentially anytime, and many players, yes even those who came to the US, actually had birth certificates filed a year or more AFTER they were born, but their date of birth listed as at the time it was filed, making their DOB younger than their actual age. This is a known practice. This very well could’ve been the case with Pujols. I’m a die-hard fan, but I can still tell he’s older than what’s believed to be his birthday. Do you really think he’s actually a day younger than Matt Holliday?
Who in the Dominican is going to falsify birth records for a non prospect moving to the United States? There are so many things arguing against him lying about his age that it borders the ludicrous to believe he’s lying about his age.
He was in the United States four years before he was drafted. His draft bonus was microscopic. Was Pujols going to share that with the mystery man who supposedly doctored his birth certificate, hoping he’d get a piece of a minuscule draft bonus years after the fact of a prospect that drew no interest. People need to think.
They are much more selective.
Name one time where this well known practice has happened. I listed why I don’t thinks it’s very likely… so just name one time where something like that has happened this century.
He wanted to market himself the best he could because he wasn’t a top prospect. He’s basically admitted it. It’s not really a rumor at this point.
Name one time it’s happened.
If he admitted it, then he committed fraud on his citizenship papers AND is subject to one year suspension. Had he come clean last decade, there was no penalty
Arte should file grievance and not have to pay him another nickel.
They did it when he was a baby/toddler and not a prospect, genius. He wasn’t born and the next day moved to the US.
And yes it has happened. The practice was really brought to a national attention when the supposed 12-year-old (I think that’s the age) pitcher for the Bronx little league team in the LLWS, who was born in the DR, was found to be like 2 years older than everybody else. He was declared ineligible and the team disqualified.
Want other examples? You’re on the internet. Use it. Look it up
Danny Almonte was his name.
What round was Tejada drafted? What American High School did he go to. What American College. When did he come to the US.
You don’t understand the situation enough to even understand why Pujols is nothing like Tejada.
Many players have lied about their. Which ones played high school ball, college ball, were drafted and played in the United States four years before being drafted
How could you not understand the HUGE differences.
Why? Because you said so?
And yes name one time a player played multiple years of high school ball, went unnoticed, played college ball, and was drafted very late, and was busted for lying about his age… genius.
As soon as Albert Pujols becomes a non unique entity, then. I’ll start buying into the possibility. Genius
Dear God, you’re stupid.
So Makaio, It happens all the time yet you can’t give me a single example an actual example where it has happened. And I’m stupid.
Danny Almonte. Before 9/11. Caught very soon, dominated against younger completion. Never drafted, never excelled above little league and you don’t see the difference? Man are you stupid.
The fact that that’s the best you got, validates my opinion
I’m with you on this, Halo. As far as Almonte is concerned, I guess if you’re gonna lie about your age, pretty much don’t become nationally famous as an adolescent. It’s a little to obvious at that age.
So because other players may not have eventually come to the US and go through school here (that we know of), means it could NOT have happened? Wow. Talk about a misguided ego.
You do realize convincing YOU, Halo11Fan, to change YOU’RE mind is not a requirement for something to be true. I have no idea what kind of participation trophy you got in your life that gave you this level of delusion that you actually believe anybody gives a rats ass about your approval.
All I’m really looking for is an example. No one has come close.
If there is someone like Pujols who was caught lying about his age then I’m more likely to believe Pujols is lying about his age. But no one has come remotely close to giving me an example. The players people are bring up are apples to oranges. And the fact that people don’t understand the differences is laughable.
No, it could have happened, but if there is no evidence of something similar happening, I’m much less likely to believe it did happen.
Pujols is actually an Alien from outer space. I can’t give you an example of another space alien who has played MLB baseball, so you can’t say it may not be true.
Nobody cares whether or not you believe it.
The whole point about lying about your age in the DR was when you could sign as 16 year old for a huge bonus
Pujols did not go that route. He was drafted. The benefit people get for lying about their age, Pujols literally did not receive
Then why did you insult me when I told you why I didn’t believe it.
#BeforeMcCourt. That line of thinking is too complicated for some people and it doesn’t fit their narrative. They’d rather keep it simple and stupid and provide no substance to their claims.
There are several outliers In Pujols journey that don’t line up with the narrative that he is lying about his age. They ignore them all.. their argument is “”He looks old and was born in the DR, therefore he lied about his age.”
What a shallow thought process these people have.
@halo11fan — Mike Piazza.
Actually quite a few. But he is the first to come to mind.
From his wiki page …
“After his father asked Lasorda to select Piazza as a favor,[11] the Miami-Dade Community College student was drafted by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of the 1988 MLB amateur draft as the 1,390th player picked overal”
I think alien is the strongest explanation of this whole situation. Due to orbital abnormalities Pujols’ home planet and the source of his prodigious strength is moving farther away from Earth, thus his decline. The Angels did indeed have knowledge of the situation at the time of the signing but rogue agents within the Obama administration gave them bad intel.
youtu.be/oYQvs_WDDI8
MLB president of Marlins said he was older when they looked into signing him in 2012……
Again any person with a brain could figure it out.
Figure what out? Because the Marlins president makes an unsubstantiated allegation that proves something is true? What is your, you know, actual evidence? You haven’t figured anything out.
Jack Clark said he took PEDs, therefore he took PEDs.
As far as the age thing, there are just too many things that don’t line up to support the opinion. Basically you are down to bigotry, he’s from the DR, therefore he’s a cheater.
I wouldn’t want to take that bet.
Except he claims to have hit off of Octavio Dotel in the DR growing up, and Dotel is much older.
It’s not bigotry, because if American players, for example, were as easily able to forge their age, the same suspicions would be prevalent.
But the fact is, American players are extremely unlikely to get away with that… It’s about people taking advantage of opportunities to get ahead. It’s something that people of all ethnicities are prone to.
Miguel tejada, wandy Rodriguez claimed he was a totally different person, same thing with a guy named Carlos logo, Juan Carlos Oviedo, the list goes on.
Miguel tejada admitted it, bartolo colon, wandy Rodriguez claimed he was a totally different person, same thing with a guy named Carlos logo, Juan Carlos Oviedo, the list goes on.
Fausto Carmona! Lol he than proceeded to get a 2nd contract under his real name.
So then why can’t he do correct math on his own age when he gives time frames during interviews. How do you even know there isn’t a crew baseball moms calling BS in DR on his age? You been going down there and knocking on doors? Also did you ever think he’s been lying about his age since he’s been playing as a child in the DR. You have childhood friends who knew your exact age and birthdate that can come at you when you are 45 year old millionaire?
This notion of him being just an average player until he was drafted really doesn’t make sense. I get that the alleged age lie wasn’t benefiting him for being drafted as a prospect, but if he was just an average high school how the heck did he become one of the greatest first baseman ever? He also has never been proven to take steroids. Are you saying there’s no chance of that either? In the words of Dumb and dumber.. so your saying there’s a chance
many guys cant hit where he’s hitting at 35, much less “45”
Pujols still hits the ball well. He has lost at least 25 hits a year with the shift. If there wasn’t a shift, he’d still be an asset
Julio Franco wants to talk.
It really does. All the outrage last week about his being DFA-ed was ridiculous. They did the right thing for them and for him. Why would he want to sit on the bench?
What a terrible take. Clearly, Pujols is 51.
No actually he’s 53. He has the papers to back it.
He doesn’t want to be a bench bat. The DFA happened because his ego couldn’t take the bruising that comes along with admitting you’re not as good as you used to be.
Angels should have done this 4 or 5 years ago.
Or never been greedy pigs and signed him and Josh Hamilton on the downside of their careers at all.
This isn’t a case of ego. If he was acting like he’s still the superstar and best player and didn’t want to move to the bench and going on every show calling the Angels this and that and they’re disrespecting him or whatever, then yeah. But it was he felt he could still play everyday, wanted to, but the Angels wanted differently and so the sides agreed to move on. If anything, it’s a matter of him just not being ready to let go. And that’s not an ego thing, just not an acceptance of reality.
Albert wants to be a starting first baseman or starting designated hitter Albert Pujols doesn’t want to be on the bench clearly told the angels this
St. Louis here he comes
why we already have a dead bat in carp (hope carp proves me wrong turns it around and makes me eat crow) we don’t need another, plus i want my last memories of #5 in stl being one of the best in the game and not a shell of himself.
Padres without Hosmer could slide him into first ASAP
Hosmer is way better than Albert at this point in their respective careers.
He’s on Covid protocol. Not saying Pujols is a full time replacement.
tbh at this point in 5 career the pads 1b in low a is better than 5.
Why would he sign to only play for maybe a week+?
Its our time to shine boys, STL Again
Cardinals or Pirates? Who ya got?
Cardinals, but only for a day or two at the end of the season so he can enjoy a proper sendoff.
St. Louis with n3 man send-off celebration end of the year With Yadi and Waino. By the way, Rangers29, who is your Rookie of Year Candidate for Rangers.
ADOLIS GARCIA
A reunion with the Cardinals would be awesome.
I would love to see Van Halen one more time but guess what? That isn’t going to happen either.
Don’t count out a Van Halen tour in 3-4 years
Who would play Eddie’s guitar riffs?
It would be fascinating to see if anyone could effectively stand in for Eddie.
Do you count a Rush reunion in 3-4 years, too?
eddie hasn’t been eddie since women and children, he stop caring about the guitar after vh started making money and had some fame. which pi$$ me off because eddie had the talent to be as good as jimmi and jimmy, allman, srv, santana and many more i can’t think of atm.
Eddie really hasn’t been Eddie since he died. Just let his skills go down the drain.
Eddie could barely play and stand himself after he put his hair up back stage and rocked a few lines..
Neither.
Rays so he can go into the HoF wearing their hat like Wade Boggs.
Kewldood69:
No he can’t. There was outrage over the contract dictating Boggs be shown with a Rays cap on his HoF plaque. That motivated the Hall to change the rules and took the decision away from the player. Boggs’ plaque has him in a Red Sox cap, and Pujols will wear a Cards cap, guaranteed.
Thanks for the input Captain O.
idk about #5 wearing a cards cap in the hof, it might be a angeles hat because of the personal services contract, but now that he has been released by laa is the personal service part null and void now. i don’t know much about personal service contracts and mlb has gotten rid of them but #5 and other players that have them after the change are grandfathered in.
No. Not a chance. It’ll be the Cards or the MLB logo like Maddox, LaRussa and Halladay. The HOF portion of his career was in STL. And although he reached major milestones with the Angels, his performance wasn’t HOC level. His release could even sway it over to STL. The personal service contract has no bearing on his HOF cap.
I would anticipate that he doesn’t play again.
Pretty sure you’re right. And for those who are beginning a bidding war for him…please stop. Unless the bid is over 30 million it doesn’t matter. He will get league minimum.
There’s no bid. He gets $30m. Either all from the Angels or the minimum (prorated from the point of signing) from a new team with that amount subtracted from what the Angels owe (also prorated from the point of signin). $30m total. No negotiations on any monetary amount.
All another team can offer is a roster part, playing time and being on a winning club.
Agree. If he does he’s more valuable to a non-contender for marketing purposes especially as he climbs the stats rankings. And for HOF influence and development of young players.
He’s getting paid his “FULL SALARY” this year. He’s going to be paid ALL of this salary BY THE ANGELS, EXCEPT the PRORATED amt of the LEAGUE MINIMUM fr whichever team sigs him.
Pinch hitter role only chance- take it if offered Al
Is there a team that needs a DH or 1B right now that isn’t producing better than these numbers? I can’t think of one but I’m sure there’s an opportunity somewhere
Cleveland. Pujols’ only starting opportunity in my opinion
The Brewers could use a right handed 1B since Hiura is in the minors. Right now his competition for playing time would be Dan Vogelbach.
i hate to say this but vog and hiura might be better than #5 at this point, i love #5 now that my saltiness has worn away but he is a shell and the brew are trying to win like the birds and i don’t see how he can help the brew, btw i hope yelich can get healthy and get back asap. i want to see a full brew cards dogfight and if the brew beat us with yelich i’ll tip my cap to them even though i want the birds on top
Rockies. He can’t possibly be worse than Matt Adams or Connor Joe.
Yes, but Connor Joe has a cool name.
Albert’s name is pretty cool, too. I still remember the first time my wife heard it on TV and started laughing. I was like WTF? She said, his name is pronounced: “Poo-holes”?? We had a good laugh.
That’s great! I got a good laugh from that.
Would be fun! If he could still hit. Plus fake retaliation somehow for Arenado to STL. Sure.
Not really retaliation for Arenado, that would require a guy in his prime. So maybe they could send Dylan Carlson to Denver in 2024 or so. Although Pujols could be payback for Larry Walker ending his career in St Louis.
This makes the most sense. The Rockies are going nowhere, Adams and Joe aren’t going to suddenly become starting caliber players, so they might as well let Pujols chase 700 in a HR friendly park.
Plus, the Rockies have experience with this type of player. Jason Giambi played the veteran PH role perfectly for the Rockies about 10 years ago. The guy that doesn’t play a lot, but exactly the person you want to bat in a clutch 7th inning situation.
Matt Adams is fine and a healthy Cron at Coors is an above average player. He might go to a team like the Mariners, Yankees, or Orioles
On the PR front, Angels really blew this by trying to placate his fantasies and pride
Should have forced him to retire in the offseason, even if he was refusing to. Or at minimum tell the sports world he was going on a farewell tour and would likely retire sometime during the season. If he had fought against that in public comments, it at least would have shown he was the one not accepting reality and taking illogical stances regarding the situation everyone alive could recognize.
“Should have forced him to retire in the offseason, even if he was refusing to”
yeah that makes a lot of sense
The team apparently tried to get him to, but he refused
Team didn’t want him going into 2021. Had Fowler never gotten injured, he’d have minimal playing time. They could have, and should have, forced his hand
yes, like you they tried but he refused. Nothing else they could do but let it get to this point then
A team can force it through media. They tried to show him respect though and let everything be on his terms. It backfired in their face
His wife suggested that it was his last year during spring training and he insisted publicly that it was not. Nothing the Angels could do at that point.
There was zero chance that the Angels could have forced him to retire. By retiring, he would be walking away from $30M. No one would do that, ever.
Plus the catalyst for his release was his outrage at lack of playing time, and confrontations that resulted from that. If he thinks he’s still a full time player, no way could retirement be forced on him.
Not force him to abandon the money (i cany imagine Arte would do that) – force him to accept and admit he is going away
The team should have been talking all off season about how great the club will be with Walsh’s breakout expected to carry over from the 1B position, and what that will mean for the teams chances. Should have fielded questions regarding Pujols with an honest line about him obviously being at the end of his career. Should have told both him and the media he will rarely, if ever, play if he insists on continuing to try
Team could have forced him to accept the reality of the situation. His then not at least announcing he would be retiring this season would turn into a constant question and negative towards him.
Instead they tried to accommodate his delusions and ended up with a PR nightmare because of it
It’s over, man. Go home.
American League only teams ? Let’s see maybe Baltimore , Tampa Bay , White Sox , Tigers , Seattle ? I know they aren’t all flashy teams but those are teams I could see adding him to play DH.
He would be a downgrade for every single team
An upgrade in Cleveland.
White Sox have zero use for him. Between Vaughn and Mercedes with Abreu 1B and DH are covered. Pujols is done.
Explain where he would play and from whom he would take at bats for each of those teams. Not one of them has a place for Pujols.
Baltimore, oh ya. He can platoon with Chris Davis.
Then the O’s can trade Boom Boom to the Red Sox.
Let me go smoke another one….
lol by the way pass that stuff over here.
He would still be an improvement over Bauers, but no, not Cleveland either.
without a defined starter at 1st, I can see them signing him since it’s for league minimum. I’m not saying I want it, but the tribe usually tries to strike gold for cheap.
I’d prefer to see Naylor just be the 1B or bring up Bobby Bradley. But if neither of those happen, I’d be fine with Pujols.
Albert, go to the Padres or Giants!
ROYALS
Got my tickets for Cubs @ Cards next Friday, where Pujols will be re-introduced as a Cardinal.
Would be an improvement at 1B in Cleveland, He’s better than Jake Bauers at this point
Playing without a first baseman would be an improvement
Genuine LOL at that one. Thanks.
I mean, he’s not better than Bauers at this point. Not statistically anyway.
Pain.
The elephant in the room is that there is evidence that 2021 Pujols is a selfish player. As an Angels fan I have watched most of his games this year. His approach at the plate has been HR or nothing despite the game situation. On the last monday game he played he was thrown out trying to go from first to second on a lazy fly. He threw a fit (although denied by Maddon) when he was told he would be a bench player.
He likely lied about his age..(is this really a high schooler?)
imgur.com/Dxv24mB
What team would take a chance on a player unable to perform on the fieeld and a problem in the clubhouse?
“There’s different ways to go about it. And had Albert decided that he did not want to play this year, then you could have possibly avoided this completely” – Maddon
Sounds like Angels tried to get him to retire in offseason but he refused too. And dont forget the odd situation with his wife saying this was his farewell before he apparently had her walk that back. Then the thing supposedly being upset the team wouldn’t be using him fulltime at 1B, despite it being the same situation as prior to the Fowler injury
What we have watched does indicate he is a problem, unwilling to think of the teams situation and holding illogical positions
The Angels probably offered to spread out his salary if he retired and he said no, which I don’t blame him. He can’t just retire or else he doesn’t get paid. The Angels were looking for some salary relief.
Spreading out salary would have meant much more money. See Bonilla
And I bet they did offer too
Depends on the agreement. Bonilla deferred his salary for years at the going prime rate of the day.
Prince Fielder anyone?
Not necessarily. Bonilla made out like a bandit because he got an 8% interest rate and interest rate have plummeted. The talk back in the day with Bonilla was the Mets got a steal because the Bonilla rate was below market. I doubt the angels offered Pujols a decent interest rate, if any. Plus if he gets his $30m this year he does with it what he wants, ie make more in the market than the interest offered.
Prince Fielder didn’t initially officially retire even though he was told by doctors he couldn’t play anymore. If he did, he would’ve lost his remaining salary. He was placed on the 60-day DL for the rest of the season and then to start the next until a settlement was reached. Contracts are generally insured, and so, I believe, once there was an agreement about the amount covered or whatever, THEN he retired. Have to look up the exact details. Same thing happened with David Wright, though I don’t think it was as long of a period of time between his announcing he couldn’t continue playing and officially retiring.
A team can’t force a player to retire and if he does, he doesn’t get the remaining money. And if the team releases him, they owe him the rest. So he just wouldn’t officially retire until it’s fully paid. All they could do was put him of the DL. And these weren’t contentious situations. Team and player basically worked together until the situations were resolved.
just what the pirates are looking for
A .198 hitter?
He should sign a one day contract with the Marlins and then go into the HOF as a Marlin.
How so?
Steve Adams might be right–maybe there is some residual value left in Albert’s bat, but is he a) worth the roster spots, and b) is he going to turn out to be a distraction? He was unhappy with his usage with the Angels–if another team takes him on does it repeat?
Cards could if they bring him on as a player-coach. Play the occasional game, sub the occasional injury, but take on more of a leadership role for younger guys. (With the added benefit of having a real send off with Yadi and Wainright)
El Hombre is still hitting lefties, and Nogowski is not:
vs Left
2021 Pujols 259/593/878
2019-2021 Nogowski 200/200/200
Only 5 PA vs lefties since 2019 for Nogowski, 2 in 2021 with no hits. He’s hitting 083/214/298 overall in 2021.
It makes sense for the Cardinals, especially when you consider the financial ROI of a farewell tour for one of STL’s most loved players at a cost of a few hundred thousand dollars.
You are basing that statement on 28 plate appearances?
What about 2020, when he was .231/.242/.385 vL?
Do they have an empty roster spot? Do they have trouble selling tickets?
I truly wish he would’ve got a proper sendoff, but I understand why the Angels did what they did. They are trying to win, albeit poorly right now, but you can’t have that kind of attitude in the clubhouse.
I hope St. Louis gives him the proper sendoff his career deserves. A one day contract and one game played so he can receive his final standing ovation in a uniform, stadium and by the fans that loved him so much.
Best of luck, Albert. It’s been an amazing career and thanks for blessing us fans.
I was surprised the article didn’t mention that Prince Albert is now 41 years old. Common knowledge perhaps but age is also one of the arguments against a team picking him up even at a bargain basement price. It’s rare for anyone to be fit to compete at that age even as a DH.
Baltimore is the only spot I can predict. Not trying to win, he wouldn’t blocking a great DH and he’d be in the HR bandboxes of the AL East so he could pad his numbers.
Not quite true, Mancini/Mountcastle seem to have 1B/DH locked down, Rockies might be more interesting, actually. Pirates might offer the most playing time.
Saw that above. Definitely a team I missed.
Contenders don’t need a side show. He is past replacement level so he won’t sell tickets. Like Tim Tebow should, he should go gracefully into the night of retirement.
Lmfaoo people are really clamoring for Pujols to take the exact same role with the Cardinals that he absolutely refused to take with the Angels. Dude literally blew up in Maddon’s office and completely ripped the GM and Team President because they wanted to scale back his playing time. The guy was given every single opportunity possible and then some, yet he refused to do the honorable thing be a mentor and retire because his ego is way too big. He was being paid 30 million to literally be the most unproductive starting player in all the Majors. Ohtani and Walsh are literally producing mvp type numbers, not sure what else needed to happen for this dude to take a hint. Angels would have been willing to roll out the red carpet and give him a farewell tour but he wants to keep playing and go out on his terms, well then so be it. Deuces sir.
Yes.
I wouldn’t be so sure all NL teams will pass on him. The Brewers are playing Dan Vogelbach everyday, and Jim Thome got acquired both by the Dodgers and in his second run with the Phillies when he was 41 when he completely awful at 1B for over a decade at that point. NL teams still need PHs this season, and Pujols can definitely still pop one out. Not sure if he will be convinced to take a bench role, but what I’m saying is Pujols defense there currently actually isn’t as bad as the Thome precedent.
Also, as an A’s fan, you just know Beane is sweating right now trying to stop himself from picking up the phone, lol
Jim Thome was a very good hitter til the end of his career. Pujols is absolutely awful. There is no comparison there whatsoever
A AL team with a DH spot for AP
Love Albert, but he should just retire. No MLB team will guarantee him an everyday starting job. You can automatically rule out all the NL clubs since they don’t have a DH. Any club that has any level of interest would be as a platoon DH at best, and that’s basically why he got upset with the Angels who informed him that he’d no longer be an everyday player. He’s better off retiring, otherwise he’ll be in the exact situation with another AL club.
But his defense at 1B isn’t the worst in the NL, so no, he doesn’t need a DH.
Have you watched Pujols play defense this year? Its really, really bad.
It feels like not so long ago that Pujols signed with the Angels because of a “message from God”. I wonder if a message from God told him to abuse Joe Madden and the front office so badly that they had to release him immediately.
At this point, he’s just tainting his legacy – on an off the field.
A message from God along with an extra $110 million. Cards fans can’t blame him there
who is going to want Alberts Pujol?
Pujols will pay for himself with jersey and ticket sales. Also, with every at-bat he is making some type of history that will get the team’s logo etched in history forever. #5 back to St. Louis.
AA_Cardinals:
Not sure how many people are buying the jersey of a guy that’s clearly toast. And since he can expect nothing more than a bench role, how many people are going to buy tickets to watch him sit on the bench?
The Cards are in 1st place in their division, with the 2nd best record in the NL. Why in the wide world of sports, would they waste a roster spot on a team playing well? Pujols wants playing time, and that’s something the Cards can’t afford to give him, since, with better hitters already on the team, and in the minors, it hurts the team having him.
I agree dont see a lot of people running out for his jersey. Maybe get a few more fans in the stands but i dont see a lot of money in his name these days.
Yes they will. If he came back, his jersey would absolutely sell. His legacy with the Angels is nothing compared to his legacy with the Cardinals.
There seems to be debate about the decline of Carpenter and signing a declining AP. In St. Louis, they were both MVP or MVP type players and both guys deserve to go out with the appropriate fanfare of a career well played. Nowhere will Ap be more adored than St. Louis. The guy could play in STL and never get another hit but still be one of the fan favorites. There is one roster spot to take from a rookie which would be reserved for AP to destroy central division pitching. But everyone needs to be realistic about playing time. AP is not going to unseat Goldy at first base and he would be splitting the pinch-hitting role with Carp. If you are not from STL or watched him play every day of his first 11 years you don’t truly understand this guy. He will outwork anyone on the field, even at 40 years old. He has a knack for shining in the spotlight and squeezing any bit of talent left into a game. Can you name a better performer in the playoffs? He almost single-handedly beat the Rangers (All due respect to David Freese.). The Cardinals are smart and they nod to the history of baseball. I would believe they are having conversations about AP. It may not work out, but I hope it can. The Angels took away the opportunity to go out with style. Not even one game for him to say goodbye.
If the whole reason this thing fell apart with the Angels is because they would not give him or guarantee him regular playing time, than I don’t see why he would sign with another team for anything less. I also don’t see any team, regardless of positional or contractual status or place in the standings, guaranteeing him a full-time role in any league. Following that logic, he either will have to come off his demands or not play again. If he is willing to be a bench bat for another team, it will look poorly on him for not being willing to do it with the team that was and IS CURRENTLY paying his salary. Doubly so if he somehow signs with a legit contender (the Angels are not that right now, let’s be real.) It looks like his way of getting paid and moving to a better team. Realistically, though, he’s not going to sign to a team like that. So, he’ll get paid to sit at home and then retire at the end of the season so as not to lose any of his $30 million. Either way, this is not a good look for Pujols. One of the best to ever do it, but man is he going out looking bad.
Arte Moreno deserves to be fleeced out of as much money as possible and I can’t think of anyone better to do it to him than Albert, who should have retired a few years ago when he actually was 41. I’m surprised that Albert didn’t show class by retiring at the right time but many of these HOFers run in to awkward situations at the end of their careers when they hang on for way too long.
What would be retiring at the “right” time? If he officially retired, he’d forfeit his guaranteed money. If the Angels thought he was done four years back, they should have cut him then and paid his salary.
I agree that it was up to the Angels to buy him out. Can’t fault a guy for wanting to get paid. You sign him for 10 years to spread out the money, not because you expect him to be viable at the end of the contract.
Pujols is at fault too though. If he was going to hang around for the paychecks, he should have accepted a reduced role. Mr. Pujols forgot that the team and game are bigger than he is.
Moreno and Pujols….two big egos. Both with higher priorities than the Angels winning ballgames.
Breaking news, Braves to sign Albert to play first base. Frederick to switch to 3rd base and Riley to RF, Ronald to Center. Go Braves
Maybe Albert for the bullpen or to PH.
One things for sure. He will definitely be unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame first ballot. And I would love to see the Cardinals bring him back to enjoy one more World Series.
Without a doubt. He was right there with Barry Bonds for best player of the 2000s decade. Ignoring the PED thing, I’d probably pick Pujols over Bonds simply because he played the entire decade and Bonds hung them a couple years before the decade ended. It really is amazing how much his career is like Mike Trout’s. I just wonder if will end up being a shell of himself in 2-3 years and then hanging on for another 6.
I disagree. He is a HOFer but not a unanimous one and probably not a 1st balloter. He was great for half his career and average to below average for the second half.
He’s the greatest player this generation will ever seen! Definitely first ballot unanimous Hall of Famer. No argument needed. Just bow your head.
Trout is and has been better.
So was Ken Griffey Jr. Do you think he shouldn’t have been a 1st ballot HOFer?
Griffey dealt with many injuries in the second half of his career. Pujols has just been average and for the last 25% of his career bad.
Bart: are you kidding? Pujols is the very definition of a first ballot player. He was the best player in baseball like seven years in a row.
I disagree. That honor should go to the best of the best, players who were consistently great. Ruth, Cobb, Aaron, Gehrig, Wagner etc. Pujols played at this level for the first half of his career. He was average for the second half of his career. HoF? Yes. First ballot? No.
Disagree all you want. I am impressed that you feel so passionately about your beliefs. Just be prepared to be disappointed because Pujols is definitely going to be first ballot and probably should be unanimous. Pujols was definitely better than Mariano Rivera.
No. Rivera was consistently brilliant in high pressure situations over 19 seasons. Pujols was brilliant for 10 of his 11 SL seasons and average for the next ten years.
Bart: Pujols was AMAZING in his first ten years. That’s only half a career because of how long his has been. He averaged over 8 WAR per season over those ten years. Over 80 WAR in ten years!!!!! If you don’t think that’s elite, first ballot territory, I don’t know what sport you’ve been watching. Your assessment of him being non elite, or having a short prime is absurd.
I think this conversation has reached its natural conclusion. Have yourself a nice night.
I don’t know that he will be unanimous (there’s always a guy or two that likes to mix things up) but he is without a doubt a 99+% first ballot Hall of Famer.
Never underestimate the egos of stupid people on the internet.
Pujols is 100% a first ballot HOF. Literally one of the greatest hitters of all-time. Period. His first 10 seasons all hit at least .300, 30 HR & 100 RBI (and exceeded those totals by a lot most years). The previous record was 3 years. And his eleventh season? .299, 32, 99. He was like 2 hits and 1 RBI away from 11 straight years.
Unanimous or not is the only debate. And maybe the “which hat” prediction.
Describing Pujols’ DFA as “abrupt” takes me back to this fantastic exchange:
Dr. Joseph Dolan:
You know, it’s a shame about Ed.
Fletch:
Oh, it was. Yeah, it was really a shame. To go so suddenly like that.
Dr. Joseph Dolan:
He was dying for years.
Fletch:
Sure, but… the end was very… very sudden.
Dr. Joseph Dolan:
He was in intensive care for eight weeks.
Fletch:
Yeah, but I mean the very end, when he died. That was extremely sudden.
Yeah, I suspect that Angel’s GMs and Managers have been having to work around Pujols’ demands for a long time.
where is julio franco when you need him?
Cue all the geniuses that think a poor fielding first baseman with a 80 OPS+ should be signed by their team because “he can still hit”. It never ends.
Anyone saying he will go to the National League at this point is outright crazy. Dude is a DH at this point and May give a guy a day off at first every now and then. Don’t get me wrong, hats off to him. Absolute legend of the game. I watched him play in high school. Knew he was going to be something then.
People can’t read. This is why there’s this dumb repetition of him going to the NL. Wanting reguilar playing time means AL team only.
It’s a shame that he won’t get any type of farewell tour. If he had announced before the season that this year was it the Angels would not have been able to release him
pujols has no range to speak of but he is still very good within his reach.
No, no he’s not.
Angels should told Pujols, “pitch or GTFO!”
All Albert had to do was realize he wasn’t the same player he was 10 years ago and accept his new role in his final season with the Angels. Couldn’t do it. I don’t blame the angels for releasing him.
To quote the SB LV winning coach a year earlier: we can lose just as well without him.
Albert to Oakland seems like a very A’s thing to do
Only if he can play SS. Ha.
Moreland is starting to hit.. Brown looks good… Pinder is coming back.. Albert wouldn’t get any time in Oakland..
If Albert Pujols is too proud to come off the bench and be a pinch hitter for his team, he certainly is not waiting by the phone for a chance to come off the bench as a pinch hitter for another team. We’ve seen the last of Albert Pujols.
He could change his mind now that he’s lost leverage. But still, he’s not good enough to be a pinch hitter. He’s a well below average hitter at this point.
When rosters are expanded in September I think he’ll sign with the cardinals for a final wave of the cap and retire a cardinal.. I don’t see him playing until then.
Right now he’s a AAA caliber player at best
In the 2011-12 offseason, who would’ve thunk that the Marlins would’ve been very fortunate to be rejected by both Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. Those two with Stanton, Wei-Yin Chen, and Martin Prado’s contracts would’ve been even more detrimental when the Jeter group took over the team.
Odds are that none of Stanton, Chen, or Prado would have gotten those contracts had Pujols and/or Wilson chose to sign in Miami
@Rsox
Sadly, Loria would’ve probably still signed those guys because he was backloading contracts in preparation for when he secretly planned to sell the team. As it was realized later, increasing the sales price was Loria’s goal when he got the stadium deal. He was signing anyone willing to take the money because he knew that he wasn’t going to pay the tab.
Had the team not failed miserably in 2012, he would’ve kept Hanley, Reyes, Buehrle, Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, Bell while adding more payroll for that sales price. When they failed, the team wasn’t going to be able to sustain enough return to keep him willing to pay the short term tab in preparation for the big return at the end.
Teams are always fortunate when a free agent rejects their ill-advised mega-deal.
The Pujols contract paid for itself. Good business move, bad baseball move.
Wooooowww…….. CJ Wilson. I forgot that dude even existed.
What happens to the 10 year personal services contract he signed with the Angels? Is it still in play after he was DFA’d?
andthenisaid: “What happens to the 10 year personal services contract he signed with the Angels? Is it still in play after he was DFA’d?”
Moreno will assign Pujols some lowly role in hopes that he will walk away from his $1M per year rather than deal with the embarrassment. Cha ching!
So if angels pay his remaining salary and if someone signs him at prorated minimum he would actually make more this year…nice few thousand dollar bonus for getting released
No, the pro rated minimum is subtracted from the total. He gets the same, no more, no less.
Ok thanks for the clarification
Rockies are going nowhere, and Trevor Story will be gone sooner or later. Rockies would be smart to sign Pujols and let him swing for the fences for the rest of the season. They’d sell tickets, and if Albert hits some bombs they’d sell some t-shirts and jerseys. Baseball is a business after all. Owners say they lost money last year, he’s a way to make some quick cash on a guy’s legacy. They’ll be battling the Pirates for worst record in the league all year anyway.. who cares if their 1st baseman is below average defensively.
Congrats on a great career! When you sign a huge deal that runs into your 40’s, you virtually guarantee yourself that you don’t get to go out on your own terms.
Put a fork in him, he is done.
His pride got in the way as he should have retired 2 years ago. My 11 year old only knows him as a poor player and not the stud he was 10 years ago.
Every once in awhile a HOFer just hangs on too long and tarnishes their legacy.
If you said “Angels should have bought him out two years ago.”, you’d be correct.
Even with nearly $300 million already banked, who would walk away from $59 million? What would your kid say if you told him you believed that?
“U r nuts, Dad!”
He could have done what A Rod did and retire saving salary space for the Angels allowing them to be more competitive. It would have been more graceful while still receiving his salary. He was quoted when sign a 10 year deal if he ever got to the point of not playing to his standards he would retire. His actions show us what his standards were the last few years.
Yes it is hard to walk away and I didn’t expect him to, but there were better ways to still get his pot of gold.
google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/88364980
If I’m Poo I go to Mexico for a few years and do the Julio Franco. Then come back bigger than ever!
Sign him Doyers! Better bat than Neuse and if he doesn’t pan out cut him for 550k.
You’ll make Arte and his stupid Angels pay the other 29.5 mil lol.
Cmon you HAVE to do this!
Look for Det, Balt, Clev, maybe Twins or Tex to end up with Albert
Some out of the race team that will have trouble selling tickets without Pujols and doesn’t care if he plays one of 1B/DH. The chase for 700 will sell tickets
Total diff note, wow the twins are off to a rough start. Didn’t realize
I would love him as a brave, but he won’t be a bench bat, so it will never happen. That’s the only way we could use him.
Pirates should sign him. That’s the match at this point in his career.
A perfect meeting of a team and a player that have nothing to offer.
Curious if he could go back to Cardinals in September, once the roster opens up.
Sadly, Albert has maneuvered himself into this ending. Going beyond the obvious—his fading production—he’s made it clear he doesn’t view himself as a part-time player, so he’s undercut any potential market he might have.
This is correct. And if Pujols did appropriately view himself as a 4X year old part time player he’d still be on the Angels.
Pujols still does well against lefties. OPS .878. Could be useful.
Where are you getting that stat from? He hasn’t reached that number against lefties in years.
it’s true. in 27 ABs this year vs. lefties he’s hit 3 HRs.
OPS .878
True, either I misread or baseball ref updated since I last checked. Still.
Maybe a team like Baltimore makes room for Pujols to chase some more milestones and put fans in seats. You’d have to imagine it’s a team that can DH him full-time.
I would believe Pujols was a 21-year old high school senior in Kansas City, before believing he was a 21-year old MLB rookie in 2001.
If rosters were expanded to, maybe 28, I could see the point in having Pujols as a coach/very occasional starter and pinch hitter…but otherwise., I don’t see any value. I’d think a contending team would have no use, and non contenders would want to give the playing time to young players.
Even in his diminished state he was more productive than their entire bench combined.
That’s why they wanted to move him to the Bench.
Is it possible Pujols has no interest in being a part time player for the Angels? No one has mentioned the possibility that he may be open minded to a different role with a different team. The Angels haven’t really set the world on fire since 2012 and they are kinda slow out of the gates so far this year. Pujols got used to winning a lot in St. Louis. Maybe he’d like a chance to be a part of another winner. Or maybe he just wants a new environment where the focus is on something other than his contract. I think it is premature to assume that if he was unhappy with his playing time in LA, that he won’t accept a part time role anywhere.
Albert can’t hit successfully with the present ball. Few apparently can. He was already having a time even with the rocket ball of recent seasons.
But it’s not just the ball, He done. Miguel Cabrera laughs at how done Pujols is.
This new ball didn’t help him or any other declining hitter this year.
MLB hierarchy turned the ball into mush a season or two after member entities committed billions of dollars signing sluggers who are now unable to slug. How MLB of them.
Imagine the NFL suddenly going to whiffle footballs so that Brady and Patrick Mahomes can only manage erratic and fluttery passes. (Rob Manfred – “Great idea! Suppresses QB salaries and adds intrigue!”).
It’s too bad but you’re done Albert.
He’s an all timer who would diminish his reputation by chasing hits in another city at this point in time. If he’s not playing for
a title or signing with the cardinals, he should really do his legacy a favor and retire.
Orioles
I remember Willie Mays, as a Met,when in elementary school. He could not even run at 50 percent,trying to play CF. I saw Henry Aaron only play a few games in Junior High, .with the Brewers. Please do not repeat their mistakes of staying too long! I want a few good memories of You!
I love Albert. He is a class guy and 1st ballot Hall of Famer. One of the best to ever play the game.
I’m anxious to see if anyone takes a flyer on Albert given his strong desire to play everyday. I suspect there’s not much of a market as his defensive limitations rule out NL teams and his lack of success vs RHP renders him a DH vs LHP at best.
Albert may have overplayed his hand by asking for his release in an effort to find an everyday opportunity. Regardless, I wish him the all the best and look forward to his well deserved enshrinement in Cooperstown.
Fausto Carmona
Depending on the outcome of Jose Abreau’s injury today, the White Sox could be in the mix.
Sign a one day contract with St. Louis and call it a career. That’s really his only option if he doesn’t want to be a bench player. He could also take the Manny Ramirez route and go play overseas (or in the DR, Mexico, PR, etc). He’d be an instant draw over there and this is the only way he could ‘double up’ on his salary.
I would like to see the Rays sign him. Our offense is terrible. Might as well give him a shot since he’s so cheap.
he’s going back to STL. will be a bench bat and DH at AL park games.
The Colorado Rockies need a 1B since CJ Cron is in the IL.
No one in the comments section predicted the Dodgers. Not a single person.
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