COMMENTARY | It was announced this morning that Albert Pujols has agreed to a 10 year contract with the Los Angeles Angels that is worth between $250 and $260 million. This is a contract of enormous proportion and while it is understandable that Pujols would go where the money is, he is leaving behind his World Series champion St Louis Cardinals and the chance to create a dynasty for years to come.
This is certainly a blow to fans of the St Louis Cardinals as Pujols has been instrumental in their success throughout the regular season and in winning the World Series. Pujols has a career batting average of .328 and hit a whopping .353 during the 2011 postseason. He has made the All-Star game nine of the past 10 years, won six Silver Sluggers and two golden gloves – all as a member of the Cardinals. It is no wonder this talented ballplayer was in such high demand.
Fans of the Los Angeles Angels must no doubt be pleased with this recent addition to their team. Acquiring a player of Pujols’ caliber would make any team stronger and more competitive. It will be interesting to see how Cardinals fans react. It seems clear that disappointment will set in. Pujols has been the face of the St. Louis Cardinals since joining the team in 2001. He took them all the way to the ultimate prize – a World Series victory – twice. However, Pujols is now moving on and leaving them without their biggest star, clearly hurting their chances to maintain their recent level of success. Will Cardinals fans look back on their years with Pujols fondly, or resent that he left them for a bigger paycheck?
As a fan of the Cincinnati Reds, this trade is sweet music to my ears. Albert Pujols has made the St Louis Cardinals a worthy opponent that the Reds have struggled to beat every time they square off. There is no love lost between the Reds and Cardinals. So while Angels fans benefit from this trade the most as their team is strengthened, it is also a good day to be a Reds fan as our biggest competitor, the Cardinals, is now weakened.