Cardinals fans were angry when Albert Pujols left for the Los Angeles Angels in the 2011-12 offseason, but it turns out they didn’t have a leg to stand on.
St. Louis sports fans were furious when Albert Pujols left for the Angels after winning a World Series with their beloved Cardinals. It was as if Pujols stabbed them in the back, despite achieving the game’s highest team honor the year prior.
Yet, is it really Pujols’ fault for leaving despite the Angels backing up a brinks truck to his front door?
Pujols eventually accepted a 10-year offer from the Angels worth $254 million. At the time, it was a massive haul for a player who just finished his age-31 season. To put it lightly, it was a dumb decision by Artie Moreno which predictably backfired.
Still, Cardinals fans were outraged at Pujols for leaving the franchise which raised him. The man won three MVPs and two World Series’ in St. Louis, but it still wasn’t enough.
Cardinals offer to Albert Pujols wasn’t nearly enough
The Cardinals final offer for Pujols was a decade-long contract worth $210 million, with a solid portion of that deferred until after his retirement. That, in the end, came nowhere close to the $254 million the Angels were willing to pay an already-aging star over 30.
Adding Pujols to the mix in LA didn’t pay dividends after all. It was a smart move by the Cardinals not to overpay for Pujols, even though he was a homegrown star. Everyone was happy, minus Cardinals fans, who booed Pujols relentlessly for years despite him having a very understandable reason for leaving.
I mean, who leaves $44 million on the table?
Albert Pujols rumors: Cardinals return makes sense
Pujols is a shell of his former self, but he can come home to St. Louis for one last run as a part-time designated hitter, at the very least.