Manny Machado calls out rival teams for lack of Albert Pujols farewell tour

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado sounded off on MLB teams not giving a farewell tour to Albert Pujols.

Albert Pujols made his return to the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time since 2011 this offseason. While the reunion is truly special, Pujols announced that he plans on retiring at the end of the 2022 season.

Other stars have received farewell tours from opposing teams, such as Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees and David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox. But there have been few tributes for Pujols, and San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado vented his frustrations on it.

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Manny Machado calls out teams for lack of Albert Pujols farewell tour

“I’ll tell you what,” Machado said, h/t Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “It’s kind of (bulls–t) that teams are not giving him a farewell tour. I’ll tell you that right now. Why? Albert has been the best player in our generation to ever play this game, and to see him doing the things he’s doing — I mean, it’s just unbelievable. It’s freaking special that St. Louis gave him the opportunity to come back here and finish off his career as a Cardinal.”

Pujols made a name for himself once he made his debut with St. Louis in 2001 and proved that he was one of MLB’s top stars. He won three NL MVP awards and six Silver Slugger awards during his 11 seasons with the team, and helped them win two Commissioner’s Trophies.

After he parted ways with the Los Angeles Angels early in the 2021 season, fans were clamoring for a return to the Cardinals. Yet, he signed on with the Dodgers to finish out the campaign. But this offseason, he made it official by signing a one-year deal with the team that drafted him in the 13th-round in 2000.

Machado just wanted to let it be known that Pujols is absolutely deserving of being honored by teams that face off against St. Louis this season.