St Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols will be in the starting lineup for a 22nd straight Opening Day when he serves as the team's designated hitter on Thursday at Busch Stadium against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

"I don't want to set expectations because I like to be surprised, so I'm just going to enjoy it," Pujols said, according to Dave Skretta of the Associated Press. "I'm sure it will be emotional for me, and the fans, too. But my focus is on trying to get in the reps I need to get myself ready for this season."

Pujols signed a $2.5 million deal to return to the Cardinals this offseason after splitting the 2021 campaign between the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. The 42-year-old had spent nine-and-a-half seasons with the Angels before being traded to the Dodgers.

Pujols became a star for the Cardinals in the early stages of his career from 2001 to 2011. He earned nine All-Star selections and won three MVP awards, two Gold Gloves and six Silver Slugger awards in that span.

The Dominican Republic native also won the batting title in 2003 and helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 2006 and 2011. He was electric in his 11 seasons in St. Louis, hitting .328/.420/.617 with 445 home runs and 1,329 RBI in 1,705 games.

After winning the World Series in 2011, Pujols signed a 10-year, $254 million deal with the Angels. He wasn't nearly as productive during his tenure in Los Angeles, but was still a significant contributor, slashing .256/.311/.447 with 222 home runs and 783 RBI in 1,181 games.

The Dodgers added Pujols last season in hopes of making another title run, but they were eliminated in the National League Championship Series by the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves. In 85 games for the Blue Crew, Pujols slashed .254/.299/.460 with 12 home runs and 38 RBI.

Now that he's back in St. Louis for his final MLB season, Pujols is expected to primarily serve as the team's designated hitter. He could also fill in for Paul Goldschmidt at first base. 

Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt was caught by surprise when the team fired him in October. But even now months later and after he was hired as interim third base coach of the San Diego Padres, Shildt admitted that he is still not over it.

"I have a broken heart," Shildt told USA Today's Bob Nightengale after a spring training game. "It still hurts. It hurts bad. When it first happened, I broke down. I was inconsolable. I got better as time went on. Then I got down here, put on the Padres uniform, and it hit me."

Shildt's firing came as a shock after he led the Cardinals to a third consecutive playoff appearance. St. Louis had won a franchise-record 17 straight games in September to reach the National League Wild Card Game, where it lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The late-season performance earned Shildt a nomination for NL Manager of the Year. He finished third in the voting behind winner Gabe Kapler of the San Francisco Giants and Craig Counsel of the Milwaukee Brewers.

At the time of Shildt's firing, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak cited "philosophical differences" as the reasoning behind the move without further explaining those differences.

Shildt's career began as a scout and manager in the Cardinals' minor league system. After working his way up the organization over the course of 18 years, it's understandable that he was hurt by his dismissal.

"I just never thought I would not be a Cardinal. It left me shattered. But time heals, to some degree," Shildt said. "It’s just that I love those guys with all of my heart, and it hurts knowing I can’t be with them."

Shildt's job with the Padres is set to end in a few weeks when Matt Williams returns from hip-replacement surgery. He will serve as San Diego's player development consultant when Williams comes back.

Deidre Pujols, the wife of St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, announced via Instagram that she would undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor on Wednesday. 

"I have delayed this procedure for as long as I could out of fear and inconvenience to my busy life," she wrote, in part. "However, I can wait no longer and with the support of people I love and who care about me I am encouraged to take care of this before it takes my life. I felt compelled to share this private situation with you because it's times like these that make you reflect on the fragility of life and the impact that my life has made in the world."

Albert Pujols told reporters on Wednesday that the surgery was a success. 

"But any time you open your scalp and your head, you are always concerned about it," he said. "You trust the doctor that they have that wisdom and that gift. As much as we take swings in the cage, they do surgery."

The tumor was discovered in October. Pujols, who was speaking to reporters from West Palm Beach, Florida, said Deidre's mother and family were with her back in California. Pujols returned to the Cardinals on a one-year, $2.5 million deal after spending his first 11 seasons with the team (2001-11) before stints with the Los Angeles Angels (2012-21) and Dodgers (2021). 

Despite his wife's surgery, Pujols played on Wednesday and had a hit in his team's 29-8 blowout win over the Washington Nationals.

"I think about it, but when it's time to lock in, I focus on what I need to do," Pujols said of focusing on Wednesday's game amid his wife's circumstances. "Yes, my thoughts and my prayers are with Didi and my family."

Veteran first baseman Albert Pujols is back with the St. Louis Cardinals for one last ride.

Pujols told reporters Monday that the 2022 season will be his last, marking the end of a rich and storied career:

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that Pujols' one-year deal with St. Louis is worth a base salary of $2.5 million. The contract also reportedly includes added incentives for regular-season and postseason awards.

Based on that number, Pujols is set to end his career with $341.71 million in estimated earnings over the course of 22 seasons, per Spotrac.

In his first run with the Cardinals, Pujols made a total of $114.42 million in 11 years. He signed a monster deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2012 that earned him $224.36 million in nine seasons. He played the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and made $426,313.

In 2020, Business Insider ranked Pujols as the second-highest-paid player in MLB history behind only Alex Rodriguez.

One of the greatest hitters of his generation, Pujols has enjoyed a decorated career that includes 10 selections to the All-Star Game. He was named National League Rookie of the Year in 2001 and quickly blossomed into a superstar, earning his first of three NL MVP awards in 2005. Pujols led the Cardinals to two World Series championships in 2006 and 2011.

Entering the 2022 season, Pujols has recorded 3,301 hits, 679 home runs and 2,150 RBI. He is one of just five players in league history with over 2,000 RBI and one of four with 3,000 hits and 600 homers.

The Cardinals finished second in the NL Central in 2021 with a 90-72 record and fell in the NL Wild Card Round for the second straight year. St. Louis will undoubtedly be extra motivated to make a deeper playoff run in Pujols' last year.

Legendary first baseman Albert Pujols confirmed Monday he will retire following the 2022 MLB season.

The 10-time All-Star brought his career full circle when he signed a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he spent his first 11 seasons. Beyond the sentimental pull, bringing Pujols back serves a practical purpose for St. Louis with MLB adopting the universal designated hitter.

But the Cardinals can't go back in time to get the version of Pujols who won three MVPs over a span of five seasons. Between his time with the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021, he finished with 17 home runs and a .433 slugging percentage.

The 42-year-old's decline began almost immediately after he signed with the Angels in 2012. 

Pujols made just one All-Star team during his decade with the Angels. His OPS over 1,181 appearances in L.A. (.758) was nearly 300 points worse than his OPS over his first spell with the Cardinals (1.037), per Baseball Reference.

By the time the Angels released him midway through the 2021 season, the Dominican Republic native had a .198/.250/.372 slash line.

However, Pujols was basically a first-ballot Hall of Famer by the time he left St. Louis. Per Stathead, he compiled the most WAR (86.6) for any position player ever through the first 11 years of their career. His 445 homers also set the standard over that span as he hit 46 more than the next closest player, Eddie Mathews.

During his prime, Pujols wasn't just one of the best hitters in baseball—he also matched up favorably with the greatest of all time.

Baseball Reference's JAWS metric averages a player's career WAR together with what was their seven-year peak as a broad measure for their Hall of Fame worthiness. Pujols' JAWS score (80.6) is second among first basemen behind only Lou Gehrig (90.7).

Ken Griffey Jr. is the most recent example of how Hall of Fame voters are more than willing to look past a prolonged decline if a player put together a glittering resume otherwise.

Like Pujols, Griffey left the team with which he's most associated (the Seattle Mariners) after 11 years. Over that run, he was not only one of MLB's best players, but also a cultural phenomenon.

Griffey's time with the Cincinnati Reds isn't remembered all that fondly, though, and he had an even more forgettable reunion with the Mariners before retiring. However, that didn't stop him from almost becoming the first-ever unanimous inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.

There's no doubt about whether Pujols is getting in on the first go-round; he will. The only question is how definitive his induction will be.

His announcement Monday means he'll get a farewell tour befitting a giant of his stature within the game.

Albert Pujols will return for a 22nd MLB season after agreeing to a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, per Katie Woo of The Athletic. 

The veteran played his first 11 seasons in St. Louis, winning three MVP awards and two World Series titles before leaving after the 2011 season.

There was initially some confusion about Pujols' status beyond last year after his wife, Deidre, wrote on Instagram in February 2021, "Today is the first day of the last season of one of the most remarkable careers in sports." She clarified the post to mean the 10-time All-Star was entering the final year of his 10-year, $240 million contract.

The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya subsequently reported Pujols hadn't made any final decision about his future.

His 2021 season took an unexpected detour in May when the Los Angeles Angels designated him for assignment. He made the short trip north to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers a few weeks later.

In 109 appearances for the two teams, Pujols had 17 home runs, 50 RBI and a .236/.284/.433 slash line.

The 42-year-old is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the greatest first basemen of all time, although the declining production created less of a market in free agency.

The Angels might have moved on from Pujols far earlier were it not for his sizable salary. His climb up the home run chart also provided something for fans to follow. He passed Willie Mays for fifth all-time in 2020 and has 679 homers to his name.

The hard truth is that Pujols is no longer somebody you want in your lineup on an everyday basis. According to FanGraphs, he has finished with a negative WAR in each of the past five seasons.

The 10-time All-Star still has some power, but it has come at the cost of his contact.

In 39 games in 2020, he posted career lows in batting average (.224) and on-base percentage (.270). Even attributing some of those struggles to the short season and the hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, his performance in 2019 (23 home runs, 93 RBI and a .244/.305/.430 slash line) wasn't much better.

Ryan Howard might prove to be a helpful parallel to Pujols' current situation.

Following the end of the 2016 season, the Philadelphia Phillies ate $10 million to decline his $23 million 2017 option. Howard's skills had steadily diminished, making his five-year, $125 million extension a millstone on Philadelphia's payroll.

Upon leaving the Phillies, that was basically it for Howard. He signed minor league contracts with the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies but didn't play in another MLB game.

The Dodgers gave Pujols another shot, but the financial outlay was small since he took a prorated league minimum while receiving the entirety of his money owed from the Angels.

St. Louis still thought enough of the superstar to give him a new deal, potentially putting the squad closer to a championship after losing in the NL Wild Card Game a year ago.

The St. Louis Cardinals have increased talks with franchise legend and free-agent first baseman/designated hitter Albert Pujols about returning to the team this season, per Katie Woo of The Athletic.

Interest is reportedly growing to bring Pujols back, per Woo, who added what his role would be with the team.

"Pujols, 42, would not be an everyday player," Woo wrote.

"Rather, he would serve as a right-handed bench bat, similar to the role St. Louis identified when they inked outfielder Corey Dickerson to a one-year deal last week."

Pujols is a 10-time All-Star, three-time National League MVP and six-time Silver Slugger who won a pair of World Series with the Cardinals when he played in St. Louis from 2001-11.

He left the Cardinals for the Los Angeles Angels in free agency in 2012 and remained with the team until 2021 when the Halos released him in May.

The L.A. Dodgers soon signed him, and Pujols stayed there for the remainder of the season before becoming a free agent.

Pujols played 109 games for the Angels and Dodgers last season. He had 17 home runs, 50 RBI and a .236 batting average (.717 OPS).

He hit much better after switching teams, hitting 12 home runs alongside a .759 OPS in 85 games with the Dodgers.

The addition of the universal DH likely opens up options for Pujols, as the 21-year veteran can serve as a designated hitter in both leagues.

Perhaps his career will come full circle, and he'll end his career in St. Louis. However, Pujols is also on the verge of moving up some notable career lists as well. He's fifth all-time with 679 home runs and is 18 away from surpassing Alex Rodriguez for No. 4 on the list.

Pujols, who has 2,150 career RBI, is also just 65 RBI away from surpassing Babe Ruth for No. 2 on the all-time list.

For now, Pujols is still searching for a new MLB home with the season set to begin on April 7.

MLB players made their opinions on commissioner Rob Manfred abundantly clear amid the league's 99-day lockout, to the point where the baseball leader admitted last week that he had to do more to fix his relationship with them.

Since those remarks, at least one respected veteran (and likely future Hall of Famer) provided clear comments about Manfred's impact on players.

"To just put it bluntly, he doesn't do anything for us," St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright said, per the Associated Press' Jake Seiner (h/t ABC News).

"I know how that's going to read, so Commissioner Manfred, don't take it personal. That's just how it looks from a players' standpoint."

Manfred spoke in a news conference in New York's MLB headquarters last week about how he needed to have a good relationship with players but hadn't accomplished that as of yet:

One of the things that I'm supposed to do is promote a good relationship with our players I've tried to do that. I think that I have not been successful in that. I think that it begins with small steps. It's why I picked the phone up after the ratification and called Tony and expressed my desire to work with him. It's gonna be a priority of mine moving forward to try to make good on the commitment I made to him on the phone.

Players were asked about what Manfred could do better and provided various responses, per the AP.

"I think for me it's just more positivity toward the game and players, and that's really it," New York Yankees relief pitcher Zack Britton said.

"Maybe just all the comments and stuff," Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow said. "I'd say there was a lot of anger toward, like, the 'piece of metal.' There are small things like that."

Tampa Bay outfielder Kevin Kiermaier also expressed displeasure about Manfred smiling during a press conference in which he announced that the first two series of the year would be canceled amid the lockout.

"We didn't get a deal done two weeks ago, and he's like kind of laughing or smiling," Kiermaier said. "I didn't think anything was funny or comical about what happened."

Manfred's job is ultimately to represent the interest of the 30 ownership teams in the league, so forming a positive relationship with players can be a challenge, especially in the midst of a labor dispute.

"In fairness to him, being commissioner, he's got to make sure he watches out for those guys," Wainwright said.

The relationship between owners and players appears to have thawed out somewhat now after a new collective bargaining agreement was reached, giving Manfred a chance to act on his stated priority. For now, spring training is in full swing, and Opening Day is set for April 7.

New York Mets owner Steven Cohen took aim at Icon Sports Management, the agents who represented starting pitcher Steven Matz in free agency.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Tuesday that Matz agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. Cohen reacted to the deal on social media:

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network provided further details about the Mets owner's unhappiness:

After Cohen's tweet, Rob Martin, Matz's agent released a statement in response:

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic noted that Martin added he reached out to Cohen personally after the tweet.

Matz was a second-round pick of New York in the 2009 draft. He made his big league debut in 2015 and played his first six MLB seasons with the club before getting traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in January.

The 30-year-old left-hander put together a strong season for the Jays. He compiled a 3.82 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 144 strikeouts in 150.2 innings across 29 starts. It marked his lowest ERA since 2016 (3.40) and represented a nice bounce back after posting a 9.68 ERA in nine appearances in 2020.

Since the Mets are projected to have a right-hand-heavy rotation next year—Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker, Carlos Carrasco and Tylor Megill—adding a lefty like Matz would have been ideal to provide a little bit of balance to the starting staff.

New York does have David Peterson as an internal option to fill that role, but he's coming off a 2021 season in which he finished with a 5.54 ERA in 15 starts.

So the Mets may want a more proven starter from the free-agent market as they look to rebound from a disappointing campaign.

Meanwhile, it's unclear whether Cohen's use of social media is helping or hurting his cause to build a championship contender in New York.

He hasn't been afraid to throw around criticism, even some directed at his own players, since buying the team last November:

The 65-year-old businessman providing his transparent view of the team may endear him to fans because of the honesty, but making those type of comments in public may not have the same effect on players and their agents.

Regardless, the Mets' search for a left-handed starter continues as Matz heads to St. Louis.

Steven Matz has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The deal could be worth up to $48 million and will include a signing bonus.

Whether the southpaw had the talent to thrive as a starting pitcher in MLB has rarely been in doubt. He was sixth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2016 after finishing 9-8 with a 3.40 ERA.

However, health has largely precluded Matz from building on the early success he had with the New York Mets.

The 30-year-old missed the start of the 2017 campaign because of elbow inflammation and made 13 starts before his elbow flared up again and required surgery. Following a pair of unspectacular years in 2018 and 2019, he was limited to nine appearances in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season because of shoulder trouble in his throwing arm.

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired Matz in January 2021 in the hope he might have a return to form, and that's exactly what happened. He went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA and a 3.79 FIP, per Baseball Reference. His 115 ERA+ was his second-best over a full season.

Projecting his value going forward, it might be somewhat encouraging that his performance wasn't a significant deviation from the norm.

Per Brooks Baseball, his sinker averaged 94.4 mph, right around where it had been in the preceding six seasons. He averaged 8.6 strikeouts and 2.6 walks, mirroring his career average in the former (8.6) and nearly doing the same in the latter (2.7). Opposing hitters also had a .321 batting average on balls in play, per FanGraphs, so his stats were inflated by opponents encountering bad luck at the plate.

Unlike with Toronto teammate Robbie Ray, who was a near-unanimous Cy Young winner, there probably isn't a breakthrough for Matz on the horizon. He doesn't rely on overwhelming stuff, and his whiff rate has never eclipsed 23.4 percent, according to Baseball Savant.

But a healthy Matz is a solid starter in the middle of the rotation.

His injury history is an obvious cause for concern, and his career high for innings in a season is 160.1, so he won't pitch deep into games with great frequency.

Those factors aside, he should be a valuable contributor for the Cardinals.

St. Louis returned the bulk of its rotation, but that continuity wasn't necessarily a good thing when Adam Wainwright, Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas are all right-handers.

With Kwang Hyun Kim hitting free agency, the team needed to bring in at least one left-hander to provide some variety to its staff.