With the Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring in December, there are several questions we as fans have about the next CBA.
Will the playoffs be expanded to 14 teams? Will we have robot umpires? Or will there be a universal DH?
The universal DH was used during the shortened season last year. There’s been ongoing talks for years about whether or not it will be added when the players and owners sign off on a new CBA. On one side, there are people who want the DH added, while on the other side, there are people who like the traditional aspect of the game, and believe that the pitchers should hit.
Regardless of what side you’re on, it’s probably coming next year. But if the DH is in the NL in addition to the AL, certain possibilities emerge. One such possibility is Albert Pujols going back to St. Louis and finishing his career where it all began.
Firstly, if there’s a chance of this happening, the Cardinals would have to determine if they have a fit for Pujols. Even with the DH in the NL, they may decide to focus elsewhere, and that it doesn’t make sense to sign the former MVP. But let’s say for a minute that they do consider bringing him back.
If this were to happen, Pujols would not be an everyday player, even as a DH. He’s going to be 42, and he’s injury-prone. He’s far from the MVP-caliber player the Cardinals once knew.
But at the same time, he’s still a serviceable player, even in his advanced age. He can still crush left-handed pitching, and would at the very least, be a power bat off the bench. The Cards do need bench depth, which is an area they were severely lacking production in with the struggles of Matt Carpenter and Paul DeJong. Pujols could provide some much needed pop.
Of course, the vast majority of Cardinals fans would be on board with it. 2022 is going to be Yadier Molina’s, and likely Adam Wainwright’s last season. It would only be fitting to bring Pujols back and give him a chance to ride off into the sunset with his longtime teammates, who he won two rings with.
There is the business aspect of things too. Again, the Cardinals may not pursue him. Even if they do, another time might outbid them, and St. Louis cannot afford to get locked in a bidding war for an aging player who’s well past his prime. It’s been rumored that he’s interested in returning to the Dodgers in 2022, who have more financial resources than the Cards do, so if they were to be outbid, they would be smart to turn their focus to another player.
There’s also a possibility that Pujols will retire. He’s 41 now, and he’s been in the big leagues since 2001. He’s got two rings and three MVPs. He may just decide he’s got enough and call it quits.
But if he doesn’t, the Cardinals may at least take a look at bringing him back. It would be a great story, but the Cards also want to win, and a left-handed bat off the bench is currently a higher priority than reuniting with Pujols. They may decide they need someone better than him.
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