Report – Albert Pujols Returning to the St. Louis Cardinals
Ever since the Major League Baseball collective bargaining agreement established a designated hitter for the National League, there have been rumors that the St. Louis Cardinals would consider bringing back Albert Pujols. A new report indicates those talks are gaining momentum.
UPDATE: Derrick Gould of the Post-Dispatch reporting Cardinals are officially signing Albert Pujols. ESPN is reporting that the contract will be for 1-year for $2.5 million dollars.
ORIGINAL STORY: There are numerous reports now that the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols are having "increased conversations" according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Two hours after that initial report, The Athletic shared another story saying simply "Cardinals Interested in Bringing Back Albert Pujols".
MLB Trade Rumors describes that the Cardinals "have growing interest" in a reunion with Albert. This is now also being reported by MLB.com and CBS Sports.
If the reports are accurate, it is believed that Albert would be utilized as a pinch hitter late in games against left-handed pitching and would not be a starter with Paul Goldschmidt firmly established at 1st base.
At this point, Albert Pujols coming back to St. Louis is just a rumor, but it is one that is growing with many believing it may be inevitable for #5 to return for one last year with the team he gained fame with. One would have to imagine that players like Nolan Arenado would be very much in favor of this rumor becoming a reality.