Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES — In a move that is full of poetic justice, multiple media reports have Albert Pujols returning to St. Louis for a one-year deal with the Cardinals. The Machine is going back home to end his career with the Redbirds, the team with whom the legend of the Machine was born.
Good move for all
It’s a move that makes sense for everyone involved. It gives Pujols the chance to reconnect with the fans who loved him first, and possibly finish his career in a Cardinal uniform, fully eleven years after he left St. Louis on a huge (and ultimately ill-advised) free agent contract with the Angels. He will no doubt be given a hero’s welcome at every at-bat, regardless of what numbers he ends up putting up there.
Last year for the Dodgers, he was the gift that kept on giving. Pulled off the waiver-wire scrapheap in May, Pujols was an experienced bat off the bench for the Dodgers, something that they sorely lacked last season. And in the right situation, he proved he could still contribute to a big league team, even at the age of 41. Versus lefties last year, he hit .294 with an OPS of .939. That is solid production.
Plus, Pujols was an amazing part of the Dodgers’ chemistry, giving out his patented bear-hugs to every Dodger player after a home run. I can imagine what young Will Smith thought the first time it happened. He had grown up idolizing Pujols, and here he was in the big man’s warm embrace at home plate. Talk about surreal.
The Machine’s Legacy
In the return to St. Louis, Pujols will get a chance to add to his already amazing career numbers. If he does anything at all next year, he will finish his career with a WAR over 100, which will put him in rare company indeed. Probably, he will end up in the top 20 all-time for position players in that ranking.
Pujols’s other records are even more impressive. A .297 lifetime batting average. 679 home runs (5th all-time). And, an amazing 2,150 RBI. Just awesome, any way you slice it.
And now, he’s bringing it all back home. Adios, Tío Albert. Gracias para todo.
UPDATE: Quite the welcome back into Cardinals camp today…
