Dominican superstar Albert Pujols has not decided whether the 2021 season will be his last as a major league player, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
For a while Monday night there was speculation that Pujols, 41, was about to announce that this would be his last year in the majors, following an Instagram post on an account that appears to be from his wife, Deidre, in which it was originally written that 2021 would be his last season.
The account quickly edited the writing, however, clarifying that they were simply referring to this year being the last of Pujols’ 10-year, $ 240 million contract with the Angels, and not necessarily the year of his career ending. Pujols’ official Instagram account commented on the post with heart emojis.
“Today is the first day of the final season (based on his contract) of one of the biggest races in the sport! I’m talking about my husband, @albertpujols, who since he was a child ate, slept and breathed this sport. I have had the privilege of walking 23 years of this baseball journey and it is with a swollen heart that I spoke to you as he finishes this beautiful career!
After patrolling first base for years in Anaheim, Pujols could open the 2021 season as a replacement for Jared Walsh, who finished his rookie season in 2021 with a solid .337 / .368 / .774 line and nine home runs in September.
Shohei Ohtani could get his fair share of designated hitter at-bats, potentially limiting Pujols to a role as a part-time player or off the bench.
Pujols has starred in one of the most accomplished careers in major league history. He will start 2021 as fifth on the all-time home run list with 662 homers and second for life in RBIs (according to the Elias Sports Bureau) with 2,100.
His 445 home runs in his first 11 seasons with the Cardinals are the most for a player in his first 11 seasons in MLB history, as are his 3,893 bases reached with St. Louis. Pujols has a career WAR of 100.7, according to Baseball-Reference, the 19th best in Big Tent history among position players.
Part of Pujols’ contract with the Angels includes an additional 10-year, $ 10 million personal services contract for the club that he can accept when he retires. (GG) (MLB in Spainol)