St. Louis Cardinals fans want Albert Pujols reunion

Albert Pujols is a free agent after the season and Cardinals fans are making it clear they would like to see Pujols back in St. Louis.

When Albert Pujols became a free agent this season, Cardinals fans wanted a reunion that would bring their longtime first baseman back to St. Louis. Alas, the Cardinals never showed interest, and now Pujols is competing for a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But that doesn’t mean fans still don’t want Pujols. During Monday’s game against the Dodgers, as the 41-year-old sat in the opposing dugout, Cardinals fans chanted “We want Pujols!”

A reunion this year was never feasible. After all, the Cardinals have Paul Goldschmidt as their everyday first baseman and the National League did not implement the universal designated hitter for this season. Pujols would have been relegated to a bench role with little, if any, starts and only pinch hit at-bats off the bench. He’s appeared in 69 games with the Dodgers and had 165 at-bats. It’s hard to see him getting anywhere close to that in St. Louis.

A reunion next year, however, could be more feasible. The upcoming CBA negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA is likely to bring a universal DH and if it does, the Cardinals would have a clear spot for Pujols in a DH role. Of course, the Cardinals would want to have other options available for the DH spot. At this stage of his career, Pujols is not an everyday player. But as he has hit .261/.303/..479 with 11 home runs with the Dodgers, he’s shown he’s an effective player.

What better way for Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright to end their careers than for one last World Series push in St. Louis? It’s not like Pujols would break the bank, either. He would most likely cost the Cardinals, say, only a few million and allow them to pursue a shortstop like Trevor Story in free agency.

It’s surely something that all three players would be open to and if the DH is implemented next season, the interest in making it happen could very well be mutual. And when there is mutual interest, deals often are made.