Angels News: Albert Pujols Planning to Honor Long-Term Commitment to LA
Albert Pujols' time with the Angels may not be over after all.
Despite being DFA'd by the team in May of 2021 after a mostly disappointing nine seasons together, Pujols still wants to fulfill his 10-year personal services contract with the club. Arte Moreno's potential sale of the team hasn't changed his mind.
"He plans on fulfilling all of it," someone close to Pujols said. "He’s excited to see who the new owner is."
This comes as somewhat surprising news, as Pujols and the Angels didn't exactly have the most memorable tenure together.
In 1,181 games with the Angels, Pujols hit .256 with 222 home runs and 783 RBIs. The team made the postseason just one time (2014) and didn't win a single playoff game.
Pujols joined the Dodgers in 2021, and they helped him revitalize his career. That led him to play one final season back with the team that drafted him, the St. Louis Cardinals. And, of course, led him to hit his 700th home run, joining one of baseball's most exclusive clubs.
Now, with the Cardinals out of the playoffs, Pujols is officially done playing baseball. But he's not done being around the game — and Angels GM Perry Minasian couldn't be happier. He could be "a great asset for myself to have in this organization," Minasian said.
It'll be exciting to see what Pujols brings to the organization, and if he can help them get back to the postseason for the first time in eight seasons, this time in a front office role.
