The best fit after Albert Puzols’ release from the Angels is probably not with the Cardinals or White Sox

Albert Pujols was nominated for the assignment by the Angels on Thursday afternoon, a somewhat surprising move considering that he has a 10-year, $ 10 million personal service contract with the franchise, which is based on his original Expires $ 240 million contract after 10 years.

Kuzstow will air in Cooperstown. So much we know for sure. He would like the first-ballot Hall of Fame in his only year on ballot. But will he have one stop as a player and one as a baseball immortal in rural New York as a player?

At the age of 41, he was not the player he once was, as everyone knows. He has five homers in 24 matches this year, but when he was released, a .22 O. They are not great numbers, but when you walk around the league, you will see that those numbers are better than many other regulars playing first base or DH. And then, it is there.

So where can that air be? Almost certainly not in the National League, which is sans-DH this season. A club exception may be. Let’s look at that club and see if there is a possible fit, and we’ll also look at potential AL sights.

MORE: Why did the Angels suddenly release Albert Puzols?

Cardinals

Apparently, St. Louis has a strong connection. Cardinals fans were upset when they left for the West Coast in 2011, but all were forgiven. Remember the frequent ovations when Pujol and the Angels played at the Buzz Stadium in 2019? And that home run was a Pujols hit, it was no ordinary home run, for the fans or for the player.

If this release occurs in August or September, when the roster is expanded (or closer to expansion), the Cardinals will likely top the list of destinations.

But it’s early May, and the Cardinals are competing for the top spot in the NL Central. Feel-good reunion roster spots are fine for a month or two, but five months? Probably not.
And that is, it will be a homecoming roster spot. The Cardinals have an established first baseman at Paul Goldsmidt, and he does not take many days off – he has missed just 23 games since the start of the 2015 season. And, as we mentioned there is no DH in the NL this year, the Cardinals will essentially dedicate a roster spot to a roster spot in their last 63 games with a 76 OPS + and .263 on-base percentage. .

It is hard to see this happening soon enough.

Rays

It would be such a ray thing, wouldn’t it? Sign a guy for cheap and get a bit of surprise production instead, run another playoff. And it is worth noting, maybe, that the Rays are the only team to be playing for the first time without a home run without a base. Yandy Diaz is the primary first baseman; He is batting in 260 and 120 PA with .700 OPS with only three extra base hits (all doubles).

White sox

Manager Tony La Russa’s connection is clear. And the last time La Russa managed this season before joining the White Sox, the Pujols were still a dominant force.
And, as some have pointed out, the injuries of Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert leave the White Sox in pursuit of crime. Dots are being connected.

But here’s the thing: Puzols don’t play the outfield, like Jimenez and Robert. He plays first base or is a designated hitter. Jose Abreau is the club’s first baseman, and he is coming off the AL MVP award in 2020. He is not missing abs. And Yarmine Mercedes, the club’s DH, has had one of the best stories in baseball so far this year. He is batting so far this year with five homers, 16 RBIs and 197 OPS +.

There is no way you can take bats away from you, right? And Mercedes cannot go to the outfield; He played a total of six games in the outfield in a minor-league career that began in 2011. Again, it was hard to see this happening.

Indians

Franmil Reyes has given excellent production from the DH spot, and they are rotating in AL Central conversations despite having only one home run from their first baseman. Jake Bauers and Yu Chang have previously made 13; Bauer is 146 with .569 OPS and Chang’s .188 with a .384 OPS. Pujols is far from the elite fielder he once was, but he can still play well enough to make several starts per week.

Mariners

M has been one of the surprise teams earlier this year, holding a record of over 500, despite many last-to-last predictions. And they see Evan White as the future at first base, but maybe a little bit would be a good thing about right now. He is hitting just 14 .1s with .408 OPS and 21 OPS +. Perhaps bring the Pujols to mentor the child?

And we all know that there is nothing that GM Jerry Diotto likes to deal with to shake things up.