The St. Louis Cardinals are bringing back three-time National League Most Valuable Player Albert Pujols of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. At the age of 42, Pujols signed a one-year deal on Monday worth $2.5 million according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The two-time World Series champion with the Cardinals (2006 and 2011), played 11 seasons in St. Louis from 2001 to 2011, before a decade with the Los Angeles Angels. We’ll go over Pujols’ potential impact on the field and whether he helps the Cardinals’ odds of winning the World Series.
Does Pujols’ Return Actually Help the Cardinals’ World Series Odds?
There is a possibility that Pujols could be a contributor to the Cardinals lineup on a regular basis. Do not be surprised if you see Pujols and Corey Dickerson in a platoon situation at designated hitter. Even though Dickerson had 35 more percentage points than Pujols last season (Dickerson batted .271, while Pujols batted .236), Pujols did have 11 more home runs (17), and 21 more runs batted in (50) than Dickerson in 2021. Pujols is also expected to backup Paul Goldschmidt at first base.
Last season with the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers, Pujols also scored 29 runs and had 65 hits, three doubles, two stolen bases, 14 walks, an on base percentage of .284, a slugging percentage of .433, 119 total bases, and two sacrifice flies. The one statistic that stands out over all of the rest are the two stolen bases. Yes folks, at the age of 41, Pujols had two stolen bases. The first stolen base came in a 6-4 Los Angeles Angels loss to the Texas Rangers on April 19, and the second stolen base came in a 6-5 Los Angeles Dodgers loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 30.
Currently, BetOnline has the Cardinals’ World Series odds set at +2200, behind the NL Central-rival Milwaukee Brewers, who are listed at +1800.
Other MLB Transactions Ahead of Opening Day
There were also two other transactions on Monday. The Minnesota Twins have signed starting pitcher Chris Archer of Raleigh, North Carolina to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million. Archer will be joining his third Major League team following the Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates. Last season in Tampa, Archer had a record of one win, and one loss, and 21 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings pitched. During six games, he gave up 18 hits, 10 earned runs, and eight walks. Archer’s earned run average was 4.66 and his WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) was 1.35. The reason for the limited appearances in 2021 is because Archer missed significant time with forearm tightness. Archer is expected to be the fifth starter in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers have traded outfielder Matt Beaty of Snellville, Georgia to the San Diego Padres for infield prospect River Ryan. Last season with the Dodgers, Beaty batted .270 with seven home runs and 40 runs batted in. During 204 at bats, he scored 30 runs, and had 55 hits, four doubles, one triple, two stolen bases, 2o walks, 82 total bases, an on base percentage of .363, and a slugging percentage of .402.
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