Signing Albert Pujols is good for St. Louis Cardinals’ team and PR

With the signing of Albert Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinals made a good public relations move. More importantly, they made an investment for the long-term of the organization.

The Cardinals have signed Albert Pujols to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million. In just a few hours since the signing, opinions have varied.

While many cynics believe it’s just a public relations stunt to sell tickets and products, some do see the nostalgic benefit of bringing back a legend who had an enormous impact on the organization for over a decade.

Bringing back Pujols was something Cardinals fans have wanted for a few years now. The desire began to grow in 2019 when Pujols came back to St. Louis with the Anaheim Angels. When the Angels released Pujols in 2021, the fan base hoped the Cardinals would take a change to sign him then. Instead he went to the Los Angeles Dodgers and proved that he could be a excellent mentor and bench option for a club.

Many didn’t think it would happen for various reasons, but the Cardinals do appear to have taken a gamble on bringing Pujols back.

Here’s a tweet from Bally Sports Midwest showing the arrival of Pujols at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL.

One of the main reasons Pujols was brought in was to provide insurance. The organization hoped Juan Yepez, Lars Nootbaar or Nolan Gorman would standout and win a spot on the roster without having to bring someone else in. They brought in Corey Dickerson to help with being a DH and outfield duties. And the organization felt they needed more.

From MLB.com’s John Denton:

With the Pujols signing, the Cardinals have him to DH against left handed pitching and Dickerson to DH against right handed pitching. Meanwhile, they do not have to rush Nootbaar, Yepez, or Gorman.

The club had Yepez playing in LF against the Astros in spring training action Monday. So it does appear the organization wants to give him every chance at the big league level.

Keeping Yepez with the Cardinals will also give him the opportunity to be around Pujols, which also played a role in signing the three-time MVP and 10-time All-Star. Yepez will have access to the ultimate mentor, an absolute legend. And that goes for the whole team.

Yes, fans will pay to come to the ballpark to see Pujols in a Cardinals uniform again. Yes, they will buy his jersey and memorabilia. It’s Albert. Of course. The impact of having him available to appear in the lineup, or off the bench, will be tremendous.

To have him available to the staff, from Yepez and Nootbaar, to Harrison Bader, Tyler O’Neill, and Dylan Carlson, to Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Yadier Molina, to Marmol, bench coach Skip Schumaker and hitting coach Jeff Albert … everyone will benefit from having Pujols available. He has such an amazing grasp of the game. Pujols’ experience, knowledge and interpretation of how to handle situations, it will be beyond beneficial for this team.

Merely having him back in the organization will be beneficial for years to come. That makes this signing far more than just a public relations stunt.