Albert Pujols to Manage Dominican Republic at 2026 World Baseball Classic, Per Report

The Dominican Republic has landed on former St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols as their next manager after he led the country to a Caribbean Series title.

St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals former player Albert Pujols speaks at a retirement ceremony for starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (not pictured) before a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Fresh off a successful winter, Albert Pujols has booked himself a highly-coveted job.

Pujols will manage the Dominican Republic at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas reported Friday. He will take over for Rodney Linares, who is the Tampa Bay Rays' third base coach.

The 45-year-old Pujols already served as the manager for Leones del Escogido this past winter. He led the team to a Dominican Winter League championship, punching the club a ticket to the Caribbean Series – which they also won.

Pujols only just retired at the end of the 2022 campaign. He finished his 22-year big league career with 3,384 hits, 704 home runs, 2,218 RBI and a 101.5 WAR, batting .296 with a .918 OPS.

On top of making 11 All-Star appearances, Pujols won three MVPs, six Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, NL Rookie of the Year, an NL batting title and two World Series rings. He ranks fourth all-time in career home runs, trailing only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth.

The 2026 WBC is a year out, but the Dominican Republic is surely to boast a star-studded roster. Having Pujols in the dugout could lead to ever more proven MLB players opting in for the tournament.

From there, Pujols could very well coach his way into a big league manager job, if that's where he wants to go with his career.

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