JUPITER, Fla. — The potential fit had been there, sitting and waiting, wondering if both sides would come to see it the same way.
Now we know that answer is yes, and so begins the final chapter between Albert Pujols and the Cardinals.
The Reunion.
Pujols became one of the greatest righthanded hitters of all time as a drafted-and-developed Cardinal.
He shattered hearts when he left for the Angels after the 2011 World Series championship, chasing bigger money out west, where he never was the same, while the team he left behind tried but failed to prove it could reach baseball’s World Series mountaintop and win there without him.
And now he’s a Cardinal again, ready to put that still-powerful but now much more limited swing to use against lefthanded pitching in a tag-team approach the Cardinals have planned for the designated hitter role, or perhaps more, depending on how this plays out.
“My job is to be ready to go when my name is called,” Pujols said.
An addition begged for by many in Cardinal Nation became possible because of a rule change NL fundamentalists fought against for years.
A relationship that produced beautiful memories together before the cold-blooded business of baseball intervened was mended in time for a full-circle encore.
This took Pujols playing poorly enough for the Angels that they cut ties early. This took him rebounding with the Dodgers in a more limited role that can benefit the Cardinals now. This took pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina not only being willing to share their sendoff stage with Pujols, but deciding to lobby the front office for his return. This took Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., and his front office deciding to overlook the scar tissue of the past because, as Pujols’ return to Busch Stadium with the Angels in 2019 proved, Pujols and the Cardinals and their fans still have an incredibly powerful bond.
Timing really is everything, isn't it?
Now the Cardinals must make sure they make the most of it.
That doesn't mean maximizing Pujols' use.
It means getting the best out of what he has left to give.
The strongest way for the club to take pressure off an under-pressure lineup was always going to be adding proven DH power that did not run the risk of hurting the team’s all-world defense. Options like Kyle Schwarber and Nelson Cruz required contracts the Cardinals did not want to pay. Instead the Cardinals added Corey Dickerson for the lefthanded side of a platoon-DH equation, then waited while touting the idea of opportunities for Class AAA slugger Juan Yepez. But here’s the thing. Yepez’s start to spring had been slow at the plate, and there is not much time left before games count. He was three-for-16 with no extra-base hits before hitting an RBI double in Monday's 2-1 Grapefruit League loss to the Astros. Pujols was in the dugout by then. If Yepez had a real chance, he let it slip away. At least for now.
Grabbing a role-flexible Pujols for $2.5 million plus incentives made too much sense. Especially when you factor in how much of that contract will be covered by the tickets sold and merchandise moved as he chases 700 homers. Never forget Cardinals baseball is a business. Fans are reminded of that when they are deprived of a move they want to see. This time, the same reality helped them get a move they wanted. This addition made dollars, along with sense.
The warm and fuzzy side of this should not be ignored, either. Baseball is a romantic sport, and this is one remarkable rekindling of a relationship. Sports fans are suckers for a good story. No one has to apologize for it. Nostalgia plays well in The Lou.
What's the worst that could happen? Well, let's see. Pujols doesn't hit and retires a Cardinal. Yepez gets the shot he was going to get anyway. The front office takes lumps for trying to rekindle the past instead of paving the way for the future. The whole thing winds up looking like a shallow attempt to hype up Cardinals baseball.
What's the best that could happen? Well, it could work. And it could work well.
Pujols' leadership and mentorship will be valuable beyond statistics. Wainwright on Monday saw young hitters who were prepared to leave the ballpark turn around, change back into workout clothes and head to the cage to observe a batting practice session with Pujols and Molina. Yes, but what about results? Let’s talk production. Damage.
I’ll pass along what one observer of a slimmed-down, toned-up Pujols swing session shared about his contact: “Loud.”
Pujols posted a .294 batting average, a .336 on-base percentage and a .603 slugging percentage against lefthanded pitchers last season. After he was picked up by the Dodgers and used almost specifically as a lefty-basher, he averaged .303 with a .347 on-base percentage and a .606 slugging percentage. That’s a .953 OPS in more than 100 at-bats. That’s production against southpaw pitchers similar to last season’s numbers for guys like Nick Castellanos (.945), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.946) and Fernando Tatis (.968).
"He has more than something left," Marmol said. "Albert wants to play this year because he can help a team win. He wants to finish well, and I believe he will do that."
There is a Dodger Blue blueprint available to the Cardinals that illustrates how this renewed partnership can be about a lot more than chasing individual statistics, moving merchandise and reminiscing about the good old days. Start Pujols at DH against lefties. Pick some DH spots for him against righties when the numbers like his chances. Maybe give him some time at first base if Goldschmidt needs a rest. But don’t get greedy. When in doubt, find a southpaw pitcher for Pujols to terrify.
"It's Albert Pujols," said Cardinals lefty reliever T.J. McFarland, who faced the Dodgers edition of Pujols. “You know you are always one mistake away from giving up a home run."
Then McFarland reminded that he walked Pujols twice last year.
"I walked him in St. Louis, and I got booed," he said.
Pujols and the Cardinals are back to being cheered together, and if he can do for the Cardinals what he did last season for the Dodgers, this nostalgia play will be underscored by plus production.
