JUPITER, Fla. — While Albert Pujols confirmed that this will be the final season of his undisputed Hall of Fame career — and appropriately with the same Cardinals organization that started it and where he found his greatest success — he also insisted, that this isn’t just a ceremonial, nostalgic tour with a juicy Hollywood-style ending.
No, Pujols is back in Cardinals Red to try to be one of the game’s most feared sluggers, and he’s here to help St. Louis push for another World Series championship, he said repeatedly on Monday after returning to his former team. annual offer. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but it’s valued at $2.5 million, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Time will tell if the 42-year-old Pujols can summon the same kind of magic he had during his previous run with the Cardinals from 2001-2011, when he had two championships, three MVP awards and a winning streak spanning at least 10 years yielded .300 and hitting 30 or more home runs. That, said Pujols, with the steely gaze and driven mindset that became synonymous during his first run in St. Louis, is the only thing he hopes to get out of this final run in the birds-on-the-bat jersey.
“For me, I think I’m here for a reason,” said Pujols, who emerged from behind the right fence at Roger Dean Stadium earlier in the day and walked down the foul line to join his Cardinals teammates in the dugout their 2-1 loss to the Astros. “They believe I can still play this game and they believe I can help this organization win a championship. And I believe in it myself.”
Pujols — arguably one of the greatest players in the Cardinals’ rich history, right next to Hall of Famers Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith — returns at a time when catcher Yadier Molina is in his 19th and final season , and pitcher Adam Wainwright could also be close to elimination. Wainwright, who allowed two runs for four hits in five innings on Monday, believes Pujols will be on a mission to show he’s still got plenty in the tank as a batsman.
“He seems in good shape and he’s motivated,” said Wainwright, noting that Pujols woke him up from his pre-game nap on Monday with a “bear hug.”
“Any time Albert is motivated, it’s very, very dangerous,” Wainwright said. “He’s motivated to show people he’s not too old or over the top. I don’t think he wants to be nostalgic; he wants to go out and prove something. This chip is good for the shoulder. It’s cool to be loved, it’s a beautiful thing, and no one is loved more than he is. But he wants to prove himself.”
Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. saw an immediate reaction to the addition of Pujols — spotting a fan wearing a No. 5 jersey when he pulled into the team’s headquarters Monday morning. DeWitt Jr. called the signing “the pinnacle of spring.”
Pujols goes into season 21 with fewer than 700 home runs — with much of that damage coming from his historic 11-season run with the Cardinals. He batted .328 and hit 445 homers with the Redbirds, was named an All-Star nine times, and won the Gold Glove Award twice.
Pujols, who left St. Louis in 2011 to sign a 10-year, $240 million free agent contract with the Angels, made an emotional return to St. Louis in recent years while serving for Anaheim and the Los Angeles Dodgers played. He said the numerous standing ovations he received from Cardinals fans – both before and after beating current Cardinal Dakota Hudson at home in 2019 and JA Happ last season – got him dreaming again of possibly going to St .Louis to return to finish his career.
“There was always hope, so you never close the door,” Pujols said. “The organization has never closed the door on me, and I have never closed the door either. It’s a great opportunity. Everything always happens in God’s time, and right now is the perfect time. I’m back and I’m really excited.”
Wainwright, Pujol’s teammate at St. Louis from 2005 to 2011, said home runs at Busch Stadium in recent years have put him in a pretty awkward position. On the one hand, he wanted to support his fellow cardinals, but he was also very happy for his close friend.
“We never had any uncomfortable feelings,” said Wainwright, who admitted he had been lobbying management for the Pujols re-signing in recent days. “It seemed like a lot of time had passed with the fans and it seemed like there was water under the bridge.
“They were happy to see him and when he hit that home run it was just the most Albertian thing ever. Dakota pitches and he throws a bowling ball sinker and Albert picks one up. In the dugout, I tried not to smile. I was like, ‘Oh my god, my teammate just gave up a home run, but that’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen; this really stinks for Dakota, but it’s really cool for Albert.’ I did not know, what I should do. But that was Albert.”
As if he needed extra motivation, Pujols said knowing this will be his final season will push him to finish in style — hopefully with a World Series trophy hanging over his head.
“That’s it for me, that’s my last run,” said Pujols frankly. “These people, [Molina and Wainwright], was a huge influence on me and we have a great history together. Now we want to complete our story. Hopefully we can do it this year and lift the championship trophy. If we can do that, it would be something very special for us.”