Cursed Images

Albert Pujols will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when first eligible in 2028. From 2001-2011 while with the Cardinals, he had one of the most dominant stretches of baseball we will ever see. His instant production in 2001 led to Rookie of the Year honors, with a truly remarkable .329/.403/.610 line to go with 47 doubles, 37 home runs, 112 runs scored, and 130 RBIs. Just a king amongst men from the moment he set foot on the field.

In 2004, the Cardinals locked him up with a seven-year, $100 million contract, buying out his arbitration years and keeping him in St. Louis through 2011. He became just the ninth $100 million man—Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, Todd Helton, Mike Hampton, Jason Giambi, Ken Griffey Jr, and Kevin Brown were the others.

However, when the contract expired, St. Louis made the difficult decision to let him walk, a choice that was heavily criticized at the time. The Angels pounced, offering him a 10 year, $240 million dollar deal that would run into his forties. Of course, the last few years of the deal would be a loss, but to get prime Pujols on your squad, this is what it took. Unfortunately, Pujols hit a sharp decline once he switched uniforms, never coming close to the dominant player he was as a Cardinal. The contract was underwater almost immediately:

While Pujols slugged home run number 600 as an Angel, the club never got the MVP-level player they paid for. At 41 years old, the Angels designated him for assignment, leading to his release on May 13—no club was willing to take on his enormous contract. With any team now able to sign Pujols for the league minimum, the crosstown Dodgers swept in and scooped him up four days later.

With the Angels paying him $30 million to play for the Dodgers, Pujols became a lefty-mashing option off the bench. Over 86 at-bats for the Angels in 2021, Pujols put up an impressive -0.7 bWAR. 189 at-bats with the Dodgers? He managed a 0.1 bWAR, putting up a .254/.299/.460 line with 12 home runs. Pujols was productive in his part time role, bringing a veteran presence to the clubhouse, while also drawing a fair share of fans who wanted to see the future Hall of Famer.

Albert had some nice moments with the Dodgers. He would have had another, if not for Mike Tauchman. On May 28, Pujols was robbed of a walk-off home run:

The Dodgers made the playoffs, losing in the NLCS to the eventual champion Atlanta Braves. After getting just three at-bats in the NLDS, Pujols played in all six NLCS games, but proved ineffective, going just 3-for-13 with no extra-base hits.

After 2021 he returned to the Cardinals for a farewell 2022 season. Though he made the All-Star team, his first-half numbers were less than deserving:

As you can see, however, that final year became one of the greatest send-offs in recent memory as he caught fire in the second half. After a poor first half, many doubted Albert had enough left in the tank to reach 700 home runs. However, he went on an incredible tear, and on September 23 he hit his 700th and 701st home runs, joining Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth as the only players in the 700 home run club.

While his time with the Dodgers was brief, it showed he still had some left in the tank, which led to his amazing farewell season. And he did it donning a Cardinals uniform, the uniform we all associate him with—and the one he’ll be wearing when he’s enshrined in Cooperstown. No one wants to remember Albert in Dodger blue. It’s just plain wrong. But—a perfect fit in the Cursed Images collection.