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Albert Pujols rumors: Where things stand with Cardinals, others

FONTANA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 27: Honorary Pace Car Driver, Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Dodgers stands on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway on February 27, 2022 in Fontana, California. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
FONTANA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 27: Honorary Pace Car Driver, Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Dodgers stands on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway on February 27, 2022 in Fontana, California. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

With slugger Albert Pujols still unsigned, will the future Hall of Famer sign a new deal in the near future?

We’ve seen some big names land new deals out in free agency since the MLB lockout ended, but people are still waiting to see what will happen with Albert Pujols. Despite being 42 years old, Pujols isn’t ready to retire and is looking for a new home.

However, there hasn’t been a ton of buzz on Pujols of late and the expectation is that he won’t be agreeing to a new contract anytime soon. So, when could a decision be on the way?

Cardinals fans are still hoping for a reunion with Albert Pujols

With Pujols still out there, people all over St. Louis are hoping that the World Series-winner will make his way back home to the Cardinals. There’s been reports out of the Dominican Republic of interest from the club in making that happen, but again, nothing is imminent here for Pujols.

On top of that, FanSided baseball insider Robert Murray isn’t convinced St. Louis would sign Pujols, as the team passed on that opportunity last year and they’re ready to give some of their top prospects more action this campaign.

“When Pujols became a free agent during the regular season, the Cardinals showed little interest in a reunion,” Murray wrote in a recent piece. “They preferred their internal options and, of course, have Paul Goldschmidt at first base. The universal DH makes a fit a lot more reasonable, but the team has been adamant about giving their young options such as Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman and Juan Yepez a chance for meaningful at-bats this season.”

From Murray’s take, it sure looks like the word from Pujols’ native DR isn’t totally accurate. With Opening Day less than two weeks away, teams will need to show some urgency if they want Pujols blasting bombs for them. At the same time, it doesn’t look like clubs, including the Cardinals, are in a rush here either.