Cubs passing on Albert Pujols was a huge blessing in disguise

The Chicago Cubs made a wise decision to not sign Albert Pujols all those years ago.

There was a time when Chicago Cubs fans wanted to poach Albert Pujols from a division rival.

Pujols was arguably the best player in baseball during his run with the St. Louis Cardinals. He won two World Series titles with the Redbirds, including in his last year with the club in 2011. His skipper Tony La Russa retired after that Fall Classic, which may have tipped the scales for Pujols to sign elsewhere in his high-profile free agency. Pujols ended up joining the Los Angeles Angels.

Here is why Cubs fans should thank their lucky stars the front office did not sign Pujols in 2012.

Chicago Cubs: Not signing Albert Pujols in free agency was the right decision

The Cubs were panned by their fans for being cheap and not signing either marquee slugger in free agency: Pujols or Prince Fielder. While Fielder was a great player in his prime, a neck injury forced him into early retirement. Though Pujols played well in the first four years of his 10-year contract with the Halos, they have not made the postseason since 2014 and Mike Trout is their best player.

While Pujols joined the 600-home run club and the 3,000-hit club in Los Angeles, the Angels have been the most anonymous team in baseball for the better part of a decade. As for Chicago, the Cubs ended up breaking their World Series curse in 2016. This core of Javy Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo have given the Cubs the longest period of stability they have had in over a century.

If the Cubs got Pujols, Rizzo does not come to the North Side, period. The team would not have been bad enough to draft Bryant No. 2 overall out of the University of San Diego. Pujols may haven been too big of a star to allow a young infielder like Baez to flourish when they did. While the Cubs would have been decent with Pujols, they would not have won a World Series with him.

Good things come to those who wait and those who don’t pay a premium on a depreciating asset.