The idea of Albert Pujols playing one final season in a Cardinals uniform always seemed a bit fanciful, considering that Paul Goldschmidt now occupies first base in St. Louis, and that Pujols’ dropoff in production created doubt that he would even play beyond the 2021 season. However, Pujols has had a bit of a revival as a specialist against left-handed pitching, crushing southpaws to the tune of a .302/.336/.635 slash line and 13 home runs over 134 plate appearances this season.
As Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, signing Pujols in 2022 has some baseball value to a Cardinals team that may have a DH spot to work with in next year’s lineup. That is on top of the natural symbolism of bringing Pujols back for what would be his 22nd — and quite possibly final — MLB season in what Yadier Molina has already announced will be his own final season. If Adam Wainwright also re-signs with the team and decides to hang it up next winter (which is no sure thing given how well Wainwright continues to pitch), the 2022 season will carry a storybook feel for an entire era of Cardinals baseball, as well as a renewed charge towards another title.
More from around baseball…
- The Orioles placed Matt Harvey on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his right knee. O’s manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (including BaltimoreBaseball.com’s Rich Dubroff) that Harvey will undergo testing on the knee, and it isn’t yet known if the veteran right-hander will be able to pitch again this season. After signing a minor league deal with the Orioles in the offseason, Harvey ended up spending the entire year on Baltimore’s big league roster, and the oft-injured righty has tossed 127 2/3 innings over 28 starts. That is the silver lining amidst an otherwise tough season results-wise, as Harvey has a 6.27 ERA/4.84 SIERA and one of the lower (16.7%) strikeout rates in the league, not to mention some poor hard-hit ball numbers.
- Dylan Bundy is “very confident” that he’ll be able to return to the Angels before the season is through, the right-hander told The Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher and other reporters. Wednesday saw Bundy throw his first bullpen session since being placed on the 10-day IL with a shoulder strain back on August 25, and Bundy said the plan is for another bullpen on Saturday. It remains to be seen if Bundy will be able to build up enough strength to make it back, or if he has already thrown his last pitch as an Angel, considering Bundy is a free agent this winter. “As far as free agency, the only thing I’m thinking about is not being on the IL at the end of the year,” Bundy said. Bundy has struggled to a 6.06 ERA/4.55 SIERA over 90 2/3 innings,
- “I don’t have a lot of conversations with them on that front,” Brian Anderson told MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola and other reporters about extension talks with the Marlins. General manager Kim Ng said last December, soon after her hiring, that she wanted a season to personally evaluate Anderson before deciding on a potential extension. By that standard, Anderson hasn’t done much to impress, hitting only .249/.337/.378 and being limited to 264 plate appearances in an injury-riddled year. Anderson is currently considering multiple options in regards to an ongoing shoulder problem, and surgery is a possibility, with Anderson prioritizing playing as close to a full season as possible in 2022. The Marlins control Anderson’s rights through the 2023 season, so an extension could still be in the cards if he is able to recover and get back to his old form next year.
I got it on Dylan Bundy,
What is the status on AL BUNDY?
Can’t stand having to watch any more of Sven Hunkstrom.
When Dylan retires, I want him to use Al’s speech “I hate you all. I thank no one but myself…”
If the Dodgers want Pujols back it’s highly likely his last year is in LA. They offer a much better shot at a World Series.
Personal opinion, I think the allure of playing with and retiring with yadi and waino would outweigh the allure of playing for LA again. But again, personal opinion.
I agree. One more round for this trio would be better for Pujols a slam dunk HOFer than a ring in LA but his priorities may lie elsewhere
I agree that’s more likely. Another big factor for older players who may have(?) kids getting older is continuity on where his home is, their education, and being near them. I have no idea where his primary residence is-just guessing it’s in SoCal.
He never fully moved to so cal and he sold his house in so cal a few years ago
I think he sold one and bought another. He’s in the Shady Canyon area near my office. That’s not a place with a lot of rentals. Gated, minimum $7 million right now.
Jim Rome also lives there, Mark McGwire just down the street in Sand Canyon.
You can see Albert grocery shopping at a nearby Gelson’s. On his own, list in hand, just like a normal guy.
His regular residence is still STL.
King Angel can stay in LA..
as last time, pujols wife wears the pants
The dodgers haven’t won a 162 game true World Series since 1988 while spending more than anyone..I wouldn’t say they would be anyone’s best shot
When you lead the majors in fWAR yeah you have the beat shot
I’m a lifelong Padres fan and I think this is an awful take.
I hate the narrative of discounting last years WS. Everyone played the same amount of games. Every playoff team played on neutral sites. Every team had the same opportunity to win than the dodgers did. The dodgers won fair and square.
They have also won the division for how many years in a row? How many times have they been to the WS recently?
Give me a break, I hate the dodgers as much as any Padres fan does, but I see the appeal of an older player like Pujols wanting to join for a shot at a ring.
The Pujols family is so involved in the community here in Orange County, if the Dodgers would have him back, I see him staying regardless of the symbolism of finishing his career in STL
The same could be said for his time in STL. In fact he still has a golf membership here. He obviously has deep roots in both areas. And for 6 months, it might just come down to a story book ending…World Series or retire with Yadi/Waino. Neither is a bad option.
Unless Cards at a bat at SS, and another SP, and get some production out of the young pitchers they have, any talk of a WS run with Yadi, Waino & King Angel, is flat earther level fantasy.
Well this didn’t age well.
@Trevor Y, thanks for the info, I commented before seeing yours.
All good, enjoy the insight from all perspectives.
Honestly Harvey needs to just retire he’s completely and honesty getting worse as yrs go
Picture you had a very short window where people were willing to pay you multiple million dollars to work for six months. At some point soon, everything will change and you’ll never see that money again. You’ll be worth a tiny fraction of that, if you’re willing to work twice as much.
Should you intentionally close your own window early or do anything humanly possible to keep it open?
Harvey is a prime example why young players take decent, but not great deals early in their career’s.
Yes some players wait & are richly rewarded with 7 to 13 year deals worth hundreds of millions.
All it takes is one injury to start the decline.
I’d love to have a copy of that Pujols n Scherzer photo with the Arch behind them. That will be a classic photo.
Cardinals need to aim a little higher if they’re going to be good next year.
Look at that line vs lefties! Get a RHP basher to platoon, use Albert as a sneak attack off the bench, and you got a productive DH/1B spot
Come back home Albert!
Goldschmidt is also crushing lefties this year, .950 OPS. Even with a DH spot idk that you bring in a guy who is a lefty specialist to fill that. You want your DH to be able to play in at least 150 games if they aren’t going to play in the field.
The best part about Harvey is he was on pace for a career high in starts.
Get Pujols Platoon the DH. and trade for Joey Wendle and the Cards would be in great shape. See if they can get another pitcher from the Rays too.
The Cards need to get a legitimate Ace or a reliable innings eater.. Not much needed to tweak,
Flarhety is the guy, injury bug got him this year.
Need a bat at SS, and another SP and loads of bullpen help.
Cards have some pieces, but gotta get better to contend..
Harvey has pitched some good games recently
Just bring him back. Throw out the logic and the numbers. If you can pay Matt Carpenter $18 million to help the other team, you can do the same for Albert. One guy has a statue in front of the stadium, one doesn’t. It’s there for a reason.
Carpenter is getting his statue designed as we speak… 😉 He was just a good guy. and good ballplayer to have. He filled in places Cards needed 2B, 3B and 1B and had All Star/MVP caliber years in those particular years. He just played well and did not complain. The organization thanks him for that effort.. He just got old after his 7th year……The cards need to do one more Matt Carpenter day to say good bye…
Matt Carpenter??? MATT CARPENTER??? STATUE? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH You must be joking…
Holy Smokes! I am agreeing with a Cubs fan! Carpenter was good short term, but NEVER enough for a statue, maybe a bobble head, but not a statue.
Dude he average 4.6 WAR and 134 WRC+ per season for 6 straight years. He’s at 30 WAR for his career despite being washed at this point. He was old when he came up as a rookie, so he was always up against father time, but he’s definitely a Cardinals HOF guy in the long run. Enjoy your next boom/bust cycle. Maybe you’ll get another championship before the next century!
“Dude he average 4.6 WAR and 134 WRC+ per season for 6 straight years”
Which are both good,
“He’s at 30 fWAR for his career”
27.3 of which came in that 6 year span. which ended in almost 3 full years ago, in 2018.
“He was old when he came up as a rookie, so he was always up against father time”
I think you’ve really inadvertently made a pretty air-tight case for why Carpenter, who had much for Cards fans to love once-upon-a-time, isn’t a Statue Guy.
Lobbing a “Cubs’ll never win another one” from all the way behind that ’06 WS banner was also a brassy move. I hate the Cubs so I applaud you.
Didn’t say he’s a statue guy. He’s 22nd all time in Cardinals history in career WAR. He came into the league at like 25 years old, so he didn’t have a lot of time in front of the aging curve, but again, his peak as stated above was all star and MVP level for a few of those years. He should’ve been done as a Cardinal after 2019 when he was still an average player at 3B at like 1.7 WAR. That extension they gave him was stupid, just like the last 2-3 Yadi ones. And 2006?? 2011 ring a bell bro?
There’s a Pujols statue outside Busch?
Hey it’s keyboard tough guy
No, it’s keyboard fact guy.
would you say that Pujols has been great or good? and how many keyboards do you go through a year…you are so tough I can only imagine that you break so many
Get a room you two
Great. About 5 keyboards. You done playing Jerry Seinfeld now? Is there any baseball you want to discuss?
You go through five keyboards a year? Joey Votto doesn’t even go through five bats a year!
Albert has been interviewed multiple times and he is very happy in SoCal. His teammates have embraced him and he has embraced his teammates. If returning to the Cardinals was important to the team, and was a priority for Albert and his family he could have returned there when he was released. He didn’t.
That was reported to be on the front office, not Albert. Albert wanted to come back. They didn’t want to bring him back without a DH spot because Goldschmidt can’t play anywhere else.
stan for the prorated veteran’s minimum the Cardinals could have added him to the 26 man roster. He could have been the “designated” pitch hitter and could have spelled Goldschmidt from time to time. It was reported locally here that he preferred to stay in SoCal after he was released.
Any player has to say he’s happy where he’s at, even Detroit. No one but Pujols knows where his heart is.
I hope Albert returns to LA. Imho you need guys like that to help the youngsters and it’s also great for team chemistry. You can see how much the guys love him and also Utley when he was around.
Enough with the stupid legacy contracts! Pujols is a decent short side platoon DH against LHP and nothing more. He hasn’t even really been a good hitter in 5+ years. He has no place on this team other than for feels. If the DH comes to the NL next year, then just go out and spend on Nelson Cruz to actually help fix the offense. We’re already dragging Yadi’s sub replacement bat in the lineup. There’s 0 need to add Pujols to that equation. That being said, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the Dewitts see to it that this happens for the farewell tour and give him some above market deal thinking it will pack the house in the process, rather than just making the team materially better.
Matt Harvey is up there as one of the most overrated and over hyped players. He’s only had to good seasons and after that hasn’t had an ERA below 4.00, hadn’t had a winning season since 2014. Actually his stats are laughable. He should have been turned into a bullpen arm years ago to try and save his career but now he’s at the point where he just needs to hang it up. He can’t help any team win and can’t stay healthy.