Cardinals president reveals why they passed on Albert Pujols’ homecoming

St. Louis Cardinals president John Mozeliak explained why the club passed on the opportunity to try and bring back club legend Albert Pujols. 

As soon as it was announced that the Los Angeles Angels were releasing future Hall-of-Famer Albert Pujols, fans all over St. Louis started dreaming about a reunion. Could Pujols end up returning to the Cardinals and closing out his career where it all started?

That didn’t happen, as Pujols ended up inking a new contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, we have a little more clarity as to why Pujols didn’t return to the NL Central, with Cards’ president John Mozeliak explaining why the team decided not to sign him.

The Cardinals and Albert Pujols just wasn’t a good fit at this time

“Clearly, the story of trying to bring him back would have been an exciting narrative, but the reality on how much playing time, and where he fit in, seemed very complicated at this time,” Mozeliak said.

For Cardinals supporters, this explanation is tough to accept, but at the end of the day, bringing Pujols in just didn’t make sense for the club. He’s no question a hero all over the city, as Pujols spent the first 11 years of his brilliant career mashing homers for the team. His time with St. Louis was of course highlighted by his World Series wins in 2006 and 2011, plus winning NL MVP on three different occasions.

In total, Pujols hit 445 home runs with the Cardinals, adding 1,329 RBI. Those are the kinds of numbers that will never be forgotten. Obviously, having Pujols return to the Cards and close his story at Busch Stadium would have been a fairytale ending. The team made the tough call not to make it happen, though, which probably was the right decision.