3 designated hitter possibilities for the St. Louis Cardinals

Albert Pujols

Of course, Albert Pujols should be someone the St. Louis Cardinals pursue once the lockout ends.

He is a legend in St. Louis. It would be amazing to bring him back in what is expected to be the final seasons for Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. Imagine the three of them having their final year together with the Cardinals.

Pujols has 679 career home runs. That’s about 21 away from 700. Imagine him hitting his 700th home run wearing the Birds on the Bat?

Yes, he is 42 years old.  It would be a difficult ask to have him play every day, for certain. He would be an option for Marmol, though. If he’s not the designated hitter one game, he could play first base if Paul Goldschmidt needed to rest.

If he needs a rest, having Pujols in the dugout as a player coach/consultant would be such an asset. The younger players would be clamouring to get a moment to pick Pujols brain for some hitting tips, or get his opinion on what to do in a certain situation. It would a treat for the players and fans. Even Marmol and the coaching staff could benefit from having such a baseball mind in the clubhouse.

Each time he’s returned to St. Louis, he’s received a warm welcome. Any resentment felt by fans upset that he left, seemingly disappeared.

Sure it would be a very sentimental addition to the team. But

even in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, it would bring fans back to the ballpark to see what he might do.

It would be a huge decision for club president Bill DeWitt and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. But here’s hoping they do have some discussions on a fit.