Oct. 31: Pujols himself recently declared his intent to continue his playing career (link via ESPN). He notes that the decision to play in the Dominican Winter League for the first time is a matter of fulfilling a longstanding promise that he’d play there before retirement. However, Pujols emphasized that the timing of his DWL debut doesn’t mean his retirement is nigh.
“My time to retire hasn’t arrived yet,” said Pujols. “Why do I have to retire because someone tells me to? I’m going to do it on my terms and when I feel I can’t play anymore.”
Oct. 28: After 21 seasons in the majors, Albert Pujols isn’t quite done yet, as a source close to the veteran slugger tells Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register that Pujols “for sure” wants to play in 2022. Pujols is already planning to suit up in the Dominican Winter League for the first time, to further show his readiness for any interested big league clubs.
Pujols will be a free agent this offseason, as the ten-year, $240MM deal he signed with the Angels in his last trip to the open market is now up. The Angels paid handsomely for the superstar production of Pujols’ 11 seasons with the Cardinals, though his time in Anaheim was much less successful, as he batted only .256/.311/.447 over his 5053 plate appearances in a Halos uniform.
As his numbers declined, it seemed increasingly likely that Pujols would simply retire after his deal was up, though he found some level of a revival after joining the Dodgers. After the Angels surprisingly released Pujols back in May, the Dodgers signed him shortly thereafter, and he carved out a new niche for himself in a platoon role. While Pujols had only a .500 OPS against right-handed pitching in 2021, he was still very dangerous against southpaws, hitting lefties to the tune of a .294/.336/.603 slash line over 146 PA, with 13 home runs.
While 146 PA isn’t the largest of sample sizes, teams in need of some first base/DH depth could have interest in seeing what Pujols has left in the tank. Though Pujols was able to land with the Dodgers even without the benefit of an available designated hitter spot, soon the entire National League might have need for an extra bat, should the universal DH become part of the next collective bargaining agreement. For a relatively inexpensive one-year contract, teams could have a lefty-mashing veteran whose could also draw some extra fan attention, considering how Pujols continues to inch up the all-time lists in multiple categories. Pujols has 679 career home runs, and after he hit 17 in 2021, Fletcher suggests Pujols might be motivated to see if he can crack the 700-homer threshold.
The first base market is fungible enough that trying to predict a landing spot for Pujols is difficult, though the Cardinals stand out as the obvious sentimental choice. Paul Goldschmidt has first base now covered in St. Louis and the Cards’ lineup is already pretty right-handed as it is, but if there’s a DH spot to work with, more than nostalgia could be involved in bringing Pujols back for Yadier Molina’s last season (and could possibly also be Adam Wainwright’s last season).
Albert Pujols has informed the Mets that he has withdrawn his name for consideration to become their President of Baseball Operations.
Albert should reconsider.
Then again, he’d have to take a pretty big pay cut.
He’s a 1/4 of a billionaire easy he’s not playing for money at this point
not after paying taxes in california
That’s assuming he didn’t spend all of it. He could very well be in debt.
With the way he was sponsored he’s easily 1/4 of a billionaire
Albert bought a home in the $5-7 million range. Very nice, but hardly even half a year’s salary, then sold it for a profit.
He’d have to have some outrageous business losses or something to be anywhere remotely near broke.
The man did a TikTok ad I’m sure he has no need for dough
Has anyone else noticed how slow Pujols looks at the plate? He looks like a big lumbering lumberjack in his late 50’s.
Silly Melvin. People pay less in taxes to live in less desirable places (aka flyover states and places ‘necks wrestle gators).
Most sites have him worth $170 million. I think he’s okay.
How’d he look against lefties?
mlb players pay taxes wherever they play. besides, california has no tornados, gas pipe explosions, chemical plant explosions and whole lot less teatraitors!
Not playing for money but not striving to stay fit for his occupation. Embarrassing
Wow sad
@Vizionaire: California has a ton of earthquakes and landslides. At least once a year it seems like the entire state is literally on fire. Outside of maybe Yellowstone I can’t think of a less safe place in America to build your home than directly on top of the San Andreas fault. Beautiful place to live but the rest of the country is forced to give that state far too much money through FEMA when people should know better than to build a home in some of those areas anyway. In some places natural disasters should be expected and not considered “unforseen” by FEMA. Based on the number that have happened already, California is one of those places. If people don’t want to lose money by having their house burn down they shouldn’t buy a house in California. It’s shocking how much federal money has gone to that state just to continually rebuild houses for people who are already millionaires. If you’re broke, I get it. But if you decide to buy a multi-million dollar house and California is the place you choose, if that sucker burns down it should come out of your own pocket. The rest of the American people who live in other states shouldn’t have to pay for your next mansion.
and california shouldn’t have to pay so that 1 million drug addicts in the deep south collect welfare.
and those wildfires tend to hit the part of the state infested with born agains (same part of the state also has way more covid deaths, just like every part of america where those types live. fancy that).
I’ve lived both places. Much higher pct of druggies in California than Alabama..Back to Pujols….The one team he Got Sure won’t be playing for..The Angels!
@paddy
What about earthquakes, forest fires, mudslides, electric and water shortages? Come for the disasters, stay for the affordable housing shortage!
So where have you lived? I’d much rather not live in California, than live in California.
lol at the rest of the country giving california money. And photosynthesis is the process by which plants allow the sun to keep shining..
Some people need to spend more time alone with their own thoughts, to consider why they come here to talk nasty trash.
California tax rate is nothing compared to the federal slice.
And the there’s the agent fee as well
He may have invested well enough to become a 1/4 billionaire but he didn’t do it strictly on salary and bonuses.
Rassle gators.
That’s just for Anaheim and partly for LA. He got over 100mil while in STL.
Mets provide actual facts to substantiate how much FEMA has paid to rebuild houses instead of your uninformed baseless opinion. What about Florida and the Guif Coasts who GI through multiple hurricanes!
Silly Paddy, I’ll take my flyover states, the true blue backbone of this country over the states that tax the heck out of their citizens and illegally shutdown churches. The flyover states are home to the the hardest working nicest folks this country has ever known and most likely ever will know. Not to mention, pay less in taxes and have better infrastructure than the high tax rate area.
Don’t kid yourself dude, there’s gas pipe lines under your feet, beside your street, everywhere there’s people,there’s gas pipe lines…..Those flames for your natural gas logs don’t run on unicorn farts
Well put
Lots of wildfires and mudslides in California!!
Is the “secondary” contract when he retires and the Angels pay him something like 10 mil a year gone since they released him?
What?
I wondered the same thing. How does that 2nd 10 yr contract play out? Does it not start until he officially retires or does releasing him from first contract apply to the 2nd?
I believe he has the option to decline or accept it. The personal service contract, if accepted, would essentially tie him to the Angels organization for the decade after in some capacity. All depends if he wants that extra $10 million or not I guess.
Side note: Those sort of agreements were actually disavowed after Pujols and Ryan Zimmerman both signed them along with their new contracts around the same time. MLB and the Union agreed that those “second” or personal service contracts could be used as ways to circumvent the then-newly implemented luxury tax. Pujols actual playing contract was for around $240, but $250 was reported because of the PS contract.
Steve Cohen has asked for permission from Woody Johnson to interview Joe Douglas as the next head of baseball operations
Hilarious, love it!
That’s awesome. Lol
At age 50 Albert will mow grass for a team that puts him on their roster.
They still might offer him $100 million to hit off the bench
Mistake
DH first baseman for the New York Yankees? Could flip-flop first baseball DH Rizzo
Go away
17 Homers this season and 21 away from 700. The universal DH would do wonders for his chances but there could be an AL team willing to give him a chance to try to cash in on the milestone.
I could see Albert thriving in Tampa Bay the way Nelson Cruz did when he was traded there.
Maybe Baltimore or Texas?
Sign a 1yr deal, prove so.ething in the tank, and get flipped for something if he breaks out. If nobody needs him, gives the fans something of a storyline to follow for a year.
A bottom feeder would be his best bet at consistent playing time,but at the same time those teams would probably rather have those at bats for young players. I can see him maybe returning to st Louis for a curtain call year if the NL gets the DH
He would need to thrive a lot better than Cruz did in Tampa in order to be an asset on a good team.
The Rays don’t play in Tampa nor are they called the “Tampa Rays.”
Cruz, at age 40, is also 5 years younger than Pujols
You mean 10 years younger?
Brutal.
I think you’re jealous that he as a cardinal whooped y’all a lot
No more than Alfonso Soriano, who played Dominican ball with Pujols as teenagers.
I am 55 and when I saw Pujols at the plate recently, I thought, “Man, that guy is fat. I think I could beat him in a race from home plate to the foul pole.”
Funny, the number on Pujols’ Dodgers uniform says he’s 55 too.
Phat Albert!
Well Pujols is probably 49 so that is possible
RSox – I’m guessing you’re being sarcastic about Nelson? He was not good with Tampa, to put it mildly.
This clown and liar just needs to go away already. He doesn’t deserve 700.
Send him to the Yankees. He can hit in that Slow pitch softball league stadium and hit 50 homers
fading tail of a comet he be
tale of a fading comment this be
He could play about 2-3 years on those lefty numbers alone
Haters gonna hate
Yeah, and if he hangs on long enough, he’s actually got a shot at the career RBI record.
700! Good for him.
When Albert Pujols played for the Angels he was to Pull happy He was trying to hit home runs trying to pull the outside pitch Which caused many ground ball double play especially the last 6 years of his career I don’t consider him a team player
Mr. double play
Staying too long at the party is a sad way to end a first ballot HOF career
I mean he’s arguably the best hitter of his generation. I don’t think anything he does moving forward takes from that. He’s an easy first ballot guy not like anybody is going to get 100% of the votes the first time thru anyways may as well pad his numbers if he’s able even if it’s only a platoon role.
Problem is he is doing the opposite of padding his numbers. His numbers have been getting progressively worse for nearly 10 years now…. He’s hurting himself not helping. And many people will sadly remember this washed up version because he just refuses to retire
If he’s used like he should be at this point in his career he can easily pad his numbers. His numbers in LAA were terrible because they played him everyday. He’s had platoon splits for years showing he can hit lefty’s still. So I disagree
So some team is gonna sign him to play DH only against lefties? And that’s worth a roster spot???? Hmmmmmm
You realize the Rays just got Jordan Luplow who is better and younger for like a bag of balls right? Players like this have negative value lol
@rols1026 Well you can play him at first occasionally, you could pinch hit him when left handed pitchers come in for relief and give him a few reps at DH. He’s going to cost next to nothing, he can hit lefty’s which is a tool and the DH makes it easier to use your bench to keep guys fresh. I see no problem finding multiple teams who wouldn’t hesitate for that. His jersey sales alone will make up for his salary. I feel it’s not hard to see him fit on a team considering teams are using the best match up for lineups than ever before in the past. Albert could easily get the same amount of abs he had this year on any number of teams.
I don’t know that I’d call Peyton Battenfield a “bag of balls.” Based on the numbers he had in AA last season, he could be in line to be yet another under-the-radar find for Cleveland.
One more homerun on his career is still padding his numbers.
rols – Sounds like you’re assuming the numbers being referenced are OPS, BA, etc.
Pretty sure he was speaking of padding his career homeruns total, career hits total, etc.
You don’t seem to realize that roster spots are limited and have extreme value. Pujols isn’t worth a roster spot, plain and simple. Doesn’t matter if he’s playing for free, you can easily find better players to fill that spot. Your argument only makes sense if rosters were unlimited
How’s he hurting himself? He literally has the best statistical 11-year start to a career in baseball history. That alone has already secured his place as an all-time great and first ballot hall of famer, the only question being whether or not a unanimous selection, and that will merely hinge on the voters’ opinions of having a unanimous selection. The old guard never allowed it, but reduced voter pool changed that with Rivera becoming the first. But still the only. Pujols probably will, unless someone decides not to let that happen.
How dare he want to achieve one of the hardest achievements in the sport!
He should have pride and take his millions and hang up his spikes.
He’d be a big leaguer. There’s pride in just that.
Bigtime – Actually I think it’s his pride that makes him think he can still play. He needs to swallow his pride and acknowledge that he his finished. I think he was finished 5 years ago.
He’s still been an MLB quality hitter all that time. He just can’t run very well anymore, while his defense also isn’t what it used to be. However, as a DH and pinch-hitter, especially against lefties, he’s still a quality platoon or bench player if nothing else.
Aside from when he was playing hurt in 2017, he’s only been putting up negative WAR numbers due to the unfair defensive WAR penalty at DH, despite the fact that in practice any AAA replacement DH would be subject to the exact same penalty and probably put up significantly even worse negative WAR.
Lanidrac – My assumption is you are not an Angels fan. Watching Pujols over the last ten years has been painful. Any contact he makes that any other player could run out for a single is not even close with AP. Plus he is a double play machine.
I respect his work and his history but he needs to retire. He is a detriment to any line up.
If teams are willing to pay him keep on playing. He’d hardly be the first hall of fame player that had to have the jersey ripped off of him.
As a cards fan I’d love to see Pujols get to 700 HRs. Even if it’s not with the cards. He’s had a heck of a career and deserves to go down as an all time legend of the game.
He already is an all time legend. Watching him play now is just sad and does not help his legacy in any way. He’s just a wasting a roster spot at this point. He really needs to just retire
.900 ops v lefties
Be quiet
So a weak side platoon DH who can’t run or field whatsoever and you think saying .900 OPS vs lefties is some kind of mic drop? Lol good try. He’s washed and useless. As a coach? Different story.
Even ignoring the option to platoon, he’s still a better overall hitter than the majority of bench players on MLB rosters these days.
A 90 wRC+ (would’ve been much lower has majority of his at bats not been vs lefties) is not better than most bench bats lol
Shadow of his former self, but it would be great if he could reach 700 homers. Can’t see him doing it or a team using a roster spot for him except for promotional reasons.
I just want to see him pass ARod
Why? To prove his steroids were better?
Because Aroid is a narcissistic egomaniacal cheating douchebag.
So, Aroid had the “cheating steroids,” and Albert has the legal ones?
At least we know Arod’s real age
No, Albert hasn’t done them at all.
Phat Albert!
46 years old. No one wants you man, toxic contract and had an attitude that angels paid you to play elsewhere. I’m sure someone in Japan would love to have him
Not sure any of that is true
41 but keep looking for that supposed true birth certificate. if he was really mid-40s then this would have been a mid-40s season for the ages.
Season for the ages???? -0.2 WAR and a 90 wRC+ for a DH? He’s beyond washed man. You can find better players anywhere. There will be multiple better players who get non tendered next month.
He’s 46
I meant to say 41 but y’all got the point
apparently my comment didnt post. for a supposed mid-40s player the numbers he put up were darn good. not like that bar is high, granted, but just being able to get into the box and, per the stats, actually providing value at times would be impressive for a player who is supposedly mid-40s.
90 wRC+ for a 41-year-old and especially a supposed guy in his mid-40’s is pretty dang good even as a platoon DH and certainly worth an MLB roster spot.
That WAR figure is of course incredibly misleading due to the unfair defensive DH penalty, as any AAA replacement DH would be subject to the same penalty and as such almost all of them would put up a much worse WAR.
Except Pujols didn’t DH for the dodgers…. But good try! Lol what a fail.
and yet he was still worth a roster spot. hmmm…
46???? And he didn’t force the angels to offer that contract… pretty sure you wouldn’t have turned it down smh was the largest contract ever at the time nobody is turning that down.
Based on talent he is not even close to deserving a roster spot. A weak side platoon DH who can’t run or field? Those players are beyond fungible. The only way he gets a deal is if some team wants to waste a roster spot on “leadership” because you can find a better player pretty much anywhere. It’s painful watching him play at this point lol he’s so washed. There are 80 year olds who run as well as Pujols
Go ahead, list the hitters who had better numbers vs lefties
Then ask how many of those guys will cost 2m? Maybe less?
That’s not even relevant. That skill is not that valuable when you can’t run or field at all. Find me any other players in the league who can only hit against the weak side platoon and can’t do anything else at even an average rate. They don’t exist because teams have no use for players like that…
Someone who can hit lefties as well as Pujols still can is indeed still worth a roster spot on most teams despite being a weak side platoon DH who can’t run. Hitting is still a significantly more valuable skill for position (or DH) players than running or fielding, and it’s not like he’s unplayable at 1B.
Dude. He’s been worth negative WAR for years now. He’s a straight up liability and a complete waste of a roster spot. What is everyone talking about?? He’s washed and needs to retire. It’s just sad at this point watching him try to not embarrass himself on the field.
dodgers. go back to the dodgers
Pujols rejects Mets POBO position. Decides to play in 2022
Love or hate, washed up or not, signing Albert would be a marketing coup for St. Louis. The fans are faithful and would show up to watch Albert, Yadi, and Waino in their final season together. Sometimes, there are things more important than pure performance and what makes fiscal sense. Yes, Albert is a shell of his former self. However, in his case, the decrease in performance is trumped by the nostalgia generated with him in a St. Louis uniform. For many of you, it’s hard to fathom. You do not have a generational player that meant so much as Albert has (and still does) to Cardinals nation.
Very well said.
I have no doubt he’ll get offers but he can decide if any are a situation to his liking. This one would be, I’ll bet. If he could get enough ABs to possibly smack number 700 in St. Louis, that would be a huge moment for Cards fans and for baseball.
Maybe he can do a few sit ups if he wants to keep playing. Did you see that potbelly old man in the playoffs.
What kind of playing shape are you in and how many home runs have you hit?
I have no problem with any aging superstar who wants to stay in the game.
If they can get the least position on any team and want to play that is their call in life as they owe nothing to the fans who watched them play.
Go for it Albert if that makes you happy; your life.
Play as long as you can or as long as they let you; either way.
I’m in great playing shape. No homers so far, no PEDs either. A nostalgia act taking up space is more pro wrestling than MLB
Phat Albert!
What a group of vicious pseudo fans. One of the most respected players in the history of the game and these human clown shoes act like he is Altuve or Cora.
I don’t worship him. He was great in STL and has been mediocre at best since, now he can’t play at all. I’d sign Julio Franco before Albert
But you miss the point. He loves playing Baseball. Sure some of the records has an influence. But he isn’t liability in the field, and he crushes left-,handed pitching. Probably not a good match with St. Louis’ predominantly right handed line-up. Perhaps if the DH comes to the NL he could find a role.
minor league contract??
I doubt he cares much about his legacy at this point, he’s a first ballot HOFer no matter what, and if he wants to play, let him play
I can see Pujols going another year especially if the NL adopts the DH.
As a Cubs fan and have watched Baseball since the 1970’s I will admit I think he should retire but if Albert think he can still contribute and a Team want to carry him then hope he get that 700th homer next year…
If JD opts out I wouldn’t hate to see the Red Sox take a flyer on him
Until someone stops paying him.
Thing is, AAA is littered with guys who can only hit lefties and have no defensive position, but who can at least run the bases. Pujols numbers against lefties aren’t Earth-shatteringly good.
True.
Which means the Pujols market will be a good indicator of how much teams value mentorship and marketing opportunities for a few milestones.
None of those minor leaguers have his name. Fans know Albert pujols and those who haven’t seen him would most def go to games to see him rather then a AAA player or game.
Honestly how many fans are going to see an Orioles game or a Diamondbacks game because a mediocre Albert Pujols may get 3 at bats? Is there any proof that guys like that put butts in seats? Is that really going to change your decision on going to the game?
More power to him. He had a bit of a career revival taking the role in LA that he wouldn’t take here. With the expectation of continued 26 man rosters and a strong possibility of the DH in the NL, he could find a similar role.
He loves playing the game. Might as well let him play it as long as he can.
According to Baseball Reference he hit 12 home runs
with the D’s…..
According to Baseball Reference, he had a 101 OPS+ with the Dodgers. And he can’t run… and he grounds into a tremendous amount of DPs. And he doesn’t play a position.
He’ll get a job, But unless they ban the shift, he wont hit.
Every double play is a new MLB record. Has been for a couple years now.
He’s put up a -.4 war since 2016. Who wants that?
Oh, to dream the impossible dream. Hopefully he doesn’t have a flame out next year like
Johnny Unitas did in 1973 with the San Diego Chargers…..
Cardinals should bring him back along with Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, Ted Simmons, Red Schoendist
He’s a LH Platoon DH. If they ban the shift, he might have a pretty good year, if they don’t, he’ll get 250 ABs as a league average hitter….. Maybe.
The idea of a designated hitter is to fill the position with someone who can hit. Albert cant.
From this article, I learned one thing…the meaning of the word “fungible”.
Idk why, but something tells me Albert retires sitting on 694 HR…
All he needs to plan on is beginning a cycle of Weight Watchers.
Once one stops the use of steroids one’s body is permanently damaged, and has adversely affected many different hormone levels, including the manner in which one’s body uses them with one’s metabolism.
In short – he’s fat because he stopped juicing.
Leading the league in dugout hugs might be worth a few million these days. If a team wants a front-running hypocrite who should be enjoying his senior discount at Denny’s, Albert is your guy.
I don’t know why so many posters can’t see how Pujols could be useful. He’ll at least get some spring training invites at worst. He’s still useful as a platoon bat and a pinch hitter, especially if you only have one last hail Mary shot at the game. The DH coming to the NL is only going to give Pujols even more consideration.
Either way, he’s not simply going to be ignored. GM’s are going to kick the tires on this used vehicle. It won’t surprise me to see Pujols in some teams major league uniform. He’s obviously willing to except part time rolls because the Dodgers certainly didn’t trot him out there every night.
that the most dominant franchise in modern baseball went out of their way to sign him and keep him though the season shows there is value, limited or not.
I see a signing with the angels
He will find a job if there’s a universal DH. Imagine if he goes to a place like Colorado.
He returns to STL if there is an universal DH.
hear me out…Mariners.
Please no. SEA doesn’t need a guy who can’t hit, run, or field.
But you miss the point. He loves playing Baseball. Sure some of the records has an influence. But he isn’t liability in the field, and he crushes left-,handed pitching. Probably not a good match with St. Louis’ predominantly right handed line-up. Perhaps if the DH comes to the NL he could find a role.
Fun fact: 55 is the number of pounds he’s overweight by.
and he’s still a better hitter than you ever were
I mentioned his weight and took heat too. Why is it wrong to expect pro athletes to be in shape? Being in shape is their job.
because him being heavy doesnt mean he’s out of shape? he’s 40+. dont need to be out of shape to look meh at that age. that he managed to provide value for LAD this year despite being heavy and getting up there in age is impressive in and of itself.
What was his value for LAD? Not in production, leadership… They won the ws last year and were eliminated this year so no… No value
He does need to get into better shape. He’s still going to be a defensive and base running liability but he can make himself more valuable by addressing those major limitations. That tag up play from second to third against the Padres was just sad.
i dont know, but Friedman doesnt keep a guy in a roster spot for no reason. they had options to replace him with and didnt. clearly they saw value in him.
Lack of good options. The Dodgers were not as deep this season. Injuries depleted their depth and they obviously lost guys like K Hernandez and Joc Pederson. In past they had young cheap talent to fill in. This season guys like Raley, Peters, Reks, Neuse, McKinstry, McKinney all failed to be productive. Dodgers got desperate and went after Pujols but that was one of the few bench options that worked out.
55 is also closer to what his actual age is
Really seems like a Rockies type signing. Kind of reminiscent of when they brought in Jason Giambi at a bench bat/veteran presence.
It’s his life, if he wants to compete for a spot let him. I wouldn’t give him a guaranteed major league contract, he’d have to earn his roster spot.
Guy needs to retire.
We don’t want you in STL as remember it wasn’t about the money why you left and it always was. Let the wife pick out the next destination as I hope it’s not the Cards as she wears the pants.
He just wants to get 700.. he was and I emphasize was a great player. Now it’s just embarrassing what he’s doing. He only wants to pass Arod on the hr list. Unfortunately he’s so past washed up.. even as a DH he’s a liability. Plus he’s blocking a real player not a has been to play the game. Retire bro it’s way past time
If he flounders long enough he can shed another 5 career WAR and 5 pts off his batting average
Right. He’s damaging his lifetime stats every gane.
whose? you must be from new jersey
Part time DH and pinch hitter.
He is a 1st ballot Hall of Famer.
He should quit before he starts embarrassing himself.
45 years too late
I just want to see him on the cardinals again
I truly think he will sign with the Cardinals so he can retire with Yadi and Waino!!
If he signs with a team, he’ll be hitting lefties only, he won’t be playing a position regularly, any homerun will just add to his career total. He has absolutely nothing to lose, he’s all but in the Hall if Fame already. I got a feeling, he gives a rat’s ass about his career War.
Many team will take flyers on him
I never have a chance to see albert play in person I live in Montreal but for sure if hé Côme to Toronto or Montreal il pay to put my ass in a building I think people in the mids 30 and up still love this players
Albert ego take a slap in the face when angels release him he will probably be back in better shape an have one last year of good baseball
I imagine there is an employee of MLBTR monitoring this site. My posts keep disappearing after I hit Post Comment? The posts are not derogatory or vicious like many of the posters. What is going on?
You might not realize even if you reply to a comment near the top, your reply could drop way down low depending on how many others already replied to that same comment.
Where are my comments?
Right here
As an Angel Fan, he was Albert Boojols. As a Dodger fan, he was uncle Albert.
As angels fan he deceived our team when he sign that contract. There’s no way that man isn’t 44-45 years old.
The Angels were fully aware of all the rumors. No one was deceived. They signed Pujols for their own selfish reasons.
Maybe the Japanese league. No way he lands a job in the majors.
Japan or Korea. Korea is about the equivalent of AA so he could finish strong there.
Maybe KC?
Albert,
Go enjoy your family and get ready for the HOF. Don’t make this a sad ending.
Too late to avoid the sad ending.
Why is it sad?
He’s just trying to add to his GDP totals so no one will ever catch him.
He outperformed my expectations. To be fair they were very low expectations. He mashed left handed pitching and was a good enough pinch hitter. Cringed when watching him run the bases and defensively. Such a liability in those areas. At this point nothing more than platoon DH. Worth a roster spot?
I thought it was pretty entertaining watching him “run” the bases.
Seriously the guy hasn’t been able to run in 5+ years. He can’t do anything short of catch the ball at first. I hate seeing legends go out like this. I’m not sure he makes a team better other than home run power against lefties
That’s something if a team needs it.
Dude, call it a wonderful, HOF career.
What else is there to prove??
Go out on a high note; playing well for the Dodgers, getting in the playoffs.
Imagine playing since you were 6 years old ‘till you’re 38+… so 32 years playing! of course it’s hard to quit.
Bring down A-Rod in the HR Club!!
And then be only the 3rd player to get to 700. Technically with all the years A-Rod cheated. Pujols already passed him a long time ago. It’s no secret ARod had been cheating since he left Seattle.
Pujols didn’t cheat? We kind of know he lied.
“Why do I have to retire because someone tells me to? I’m going to do it on my terms and when I feel I can’t play anymore.”
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I understand the sentiment, but he’s not quite grasping that if no one signs him then he’s retired.
We already know that Pujols is 44 years old, he quite literally admitted it in 2018 when he said that he was three or four years younger than Octavio Dotel when he homered off of him (Dotel was 44 at the time, thus Pujols was 41 years old at the time of the interview). With this information, his steep decline the last half-decade and inability to run is because he’s way older than his listed age. That’s why it doesn’t make any sense to mock him for being slow-footed. Leave the guy alone.
I say let him chase his numerical goals. He has earned it.
He can play as long as he wants and as long as there is some team is willing to sign him. Fans demanding he retire is…humorous.
I hope he gets to 700 home runs. I was really hoping he’d pass Hank Aaron. I really think if Griffey Jr. Didn’t get plaqued with injuries with the reds he would’ve easily passed Hank Aaron. If pujpls does get to 700 he’ll only be the 3rd player ever to get to 700
He probably just wanted to show his wife that he wears the pants in his family. Lol
He’s probably hoping and waiting on the universal DH and praying the Cardinals bring him back for a farewell tour
The Cards are a smart team. I don’t see them using the valuable DH spot for below-average production. Maybe there’s a way he can serve as a DH vs. lefties, but that still requires dedicating a roster spot to him all season.
As a cards fan his ending is giving me Ken Griffey about to retire vibes. Hopefully he doesn’t fall asleep in the clubhouse too.
sign with orioles?
Japan
Contracts like his are what is wrong with baseball… 10yr deals don’t work, but every free agent thinks they deserve one
Japan is a cool. Hope he enjoys it
A good option as a platoon player against lefties.
You know what I wouldn’t mind having Pujols in Boston if Schwarber asks for the moon. Dalbac kills righties but struggles against lefties. He’s very young and could learn a lot from Albert. The other option is to move Dalbac to third and try Devers at first, plan A though is signing Schwarber to a reasonable contract. If that doesn’t happen spend on the bullpen and explore the Pujols option.
Platoon in Pittsburgh vs lefties would be good role. Would need to work for minimum. Hitting LHP and his knowledge to pass along to young players is all he offers at this point. Teams want versatility.
It’s going to require a team with a very specific need, meaning they need someone to hit lefties and is willing to use a roster spot for that privilege. Also, will he want to play for a second-division club? If not, his market is small. Will he play for a low salary?
He’d be helped somewhat by a Universal DH. As for the Cardinals, a sentimental reunion could happen, but perhaps only as a one-game retirement scheme. I haven’t looked at their roster needs, but could they pigeonhole him in simply as a bat against lefties? The Dodgers did that and they’re as smart any organization around, but he filled a very specific need driven by circumstances that unfolded in season. Less likely that happens at the start of a season.
Maybe he’s retired but he just doesn’t know it yet.
I have no doubt this guy was 41-years-old within the last few years, but he ain’t 41 today. I’d guess 43.