In 2011, after the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series in dramatic fashion never seen before, and possibly never again, the main question arose: would Albert Pujols resign with the Cardinals? After much speculation, and after the Cardinals put a large offer on the table, Pujols decided to sign a lucrative 10-year, $240 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. The decision led to massive outrage and backlash in St. Louis, the city Pujols’ called home since 2001.
Albert Pujols’ season has officially ended after a recurring foot injury has become too much, and doctors have advised him to sit out the rest of the year as the Angels, currently at 55-71, are starting to focus more on next year’s chances. Albert had statistically his worst season of his career, and the hype surrounding his arrival to L.A has not been fulfilled.
Last year, with the addition of Pujols, many sport outlets predicted the Angels to win the World Series, and the Cardinals to miss the playoffs entirely. That wasn’t the case, and if anything, almost the complete opposite happened: the Cardinals were one game away from returning to the World Series, while the Angels sat and watched at home. And it looks like that is going to happen this year, as the Cardinals are still fighting for the division title, while the Angels are essentially eliminated from the playoffs (they are currently in fourth in the AL West, only ahead of the Houston Astros).
Over the past year, more people in St. Louis and across the country are beginning to agree: The Angels signed Pujols on his decline, while St. Louis had him at his peak. With the money we saved from not resigning Pujols, we were able to give Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina contract extensions that would otherwise proved impossible, and also were able to sign Carlos Beltran, who has proven that despite his age, he is still as big a threat as ever.
The Angels have done a lot of spending on big names over the past two years, and it hasn’t seemed to help them at all. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have the deepest farm system in the major leagues (along with Baltimore, who also develops a lot of young prospects), and we’ve seen the debuts of many rookies this year, with none better than Shelby Miller, who is a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. Matt Carpenter and Allen Craig have played exceptionally well this season, making the All-Star team for the first time in their careers, and becoming household names in St. Louis.
Pujols, who hasn’t played since July 26th, ends his season with career lows in home runs (17) and RBI’s (64). If these two years have been any implication, it seems that Albert is on the downside of his career, having been plagued by injuries since last year, and struggling to play consistently at the plate. His contract expires in 2021, during which he would be 41 years old. There are also many bonus incentives that are stated in his contract. They go as follows:
Most Valuable Player: $500,000
MVP second or third place: $75,000
Gold Glove: $75,000
Silver Slugger: $75,000
All-Star election or selection: $50,000
World Series MVP: $100,000
ALCS MVP: $75,000
While Pujols does a lot of charitable acts, especially in the St. Louis area, and still is considered a role model for the youth, no one will ever forget his decision in 2011 to leave the city everyone assumed he would end his career in. But seeing how his career has declined ever since he signed with the Angels, Cardinal nation seems to show no reason to worry about him not on the Redbirds anymore. In fact, many St. Louisians have sided with Pujols on the topic of whether he took steroids or not (which he still denies, despite Jack Clark’s accusations).
The Angels have made big investments on players who have surely not lived up to expectations (Josh Hamilton included). If Pujols does not improve in the next few years, this could very well be one of the worst signings in baseball history. And one of the best decisions the St. Louis Cardinals ever made. (Photo credit/L.A Times)
