Albert Pujols is back with the St. Louis Cardinals after spending a decade away from the team.
After 10 years away from the franchise he is best known for playing for, Albert Pujols is returning to the St. Louis Cardinals on one-year deal.
Pujols will be 42 years old in what will be his 22nd MLB season. The future first-ballot hall of famer has well over 3,000 career hits and is rapidly approaching 700 career home runs. Pujols left St. Louis after winning the 2011 World Series for a massive 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. While he accumulated stats and made bank, winning was not part of the equation there.
One reason he is returning to St. Louis is to reunite with fellow future hall of famer Yadier Molina. Here is what Pujols had to say about possibly closing out his big-league career with his best friend.
“I always tell him, let’s finish together. Let’s retire together,” said Pujols to USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale. “That would be awesome. I remember when he came up in 2004, and his father and mother told me, ‘This is my young little boy and I want you to treat him like your little brother.’ And that’s what I’ve done.’’
Here are the details of incentive-laden contract Pujols signed to come back to St. Louis for 2022.
Albert Pujols returns to St. Louis: 2022 contract details and other incentives
Per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network, it is a one-year deal worth $2.5 million for Pujols. He has several incentives baked into this contract. He can earn an additional $100,000 if he is named an All-Star, a Gold Glover or even NL MVP. Pujols would get $50,000 if he is a Silver Slugger recipient or if he finishes inside of the top 10 of the National League MVP race if he does not win the award.
While most of those honors are pipe dreams outside of a career All-Star nod, the real money he can make is based on the Cardinals’ postseason performance. He would get $50,000 if he is the MVP of their NLDS series, $100,000 if he wins NLCS MVP for the Redbirds and $150,000 if he wins the World Series MVP and goes out on top as a three-time champion in his amazing career.
Ultimately, the two big things he is playing for are 700 career home runs and winning a third World Series with St. Louis. Pujols enters the 2022 MLB season 21 homers shy of that milestone. As far as if the Cardinals can contend for a World Series, they should be a top-six team in the Senior Circuit. They can win the NL Central. From there, it is all about October matchups and momentum.
It may be a team-friendly deal, but Pujols can earn upwards of $650,000 in additional incentives.