Do you want to get fans excited? Tell them Pujols is returning to St. Louis to join the Wainwright/Molina farewell tour. At the very least, tell them there’s a chance.
Last year, Pujols became a free agent during the regular season. Fans got excited about a potential reunion. President of baseball operations, John Mozeliak, didn’t even consider it and rightfully so. With the universal DH, bringing in a crowd-pleasing player like Pujols could be fun. Nevertheless, it makes little sense for the Cardinals to sign a rapidly declining and limited player in Pujols and take away opportunities for younger players like Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar.
Could Pujols help the Cardinals? Of course. He’d be a veteran on the bench to help the younger players. He’d be a leader in the clubhouse. Reuniting with Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright would give these three all-time Cardinals one final season together, and it would be a license to print money.
Still, I don’t have my hopes up for a reunion.
