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6 free agents the St. Louis Cardinals should consider
Albert Pujols
The rumor mill seems to believe there is a good chance Albert Pujols could return to the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason to reunite with the team and best friend Yadier Molina.
Will John Mozeliak, Cardinals president of baseball operations, and Bill DeWitt, Cardinals chairman, be open to bringing him back? What would his role be on the team? What will be his expectations?
If there is a universal designated hitter in the next collective bargaining agreement, Pujols’s role could easily be designated hitter. He could also spell Paul Goldschmidt at first base. He would definitely be a welcome addition to the team for his leadership alone. He would be an asset to new manager Oli Marmol and to bench coach and former teammate Skip Schumaker. He would be welcomed by fans who still adore him. He still has some milestones to achieve and completing them in St. Louis would be epic.
This isn’t the same Pujols we knew, he is older and wiser. He has declined some with age. But he is still Albert Pujols and his career numbers include .297/.375/.544 with a +141 wRC. He has 679 home runs. Could you imagine him hitting number 700 with the birds on the bat? Pujols hitting 21 homers may be a big ask but if anyone could do it, it would be Albert. Goodness, it would be amazing.
He has a career strikeout rate of 10.6%. That’s an unbelievable weapon to have on your team.
It would be a win-win situation if both sides are open to it. I have a feeling they could reach an agreement that fans would welcome.