Kuzul

Albert Pujols became known as “The Machine” because he spent the first decade of his career thoroughly dominating Major League Baseball and putting up numbers that were so consistently elite, he was like, well, a machine.

Ever since leaving the St. Louis Cardinals for the Los Angeles Angels, though, he’s been in need of a reboot.

While it’s fair and accurate to point out that Pujols’ decline began before he bolted as a free agent after the 2011 season, the gradient has gone from gradual to trap-door-like over the past two years.

After all, this is a hitter whose average season with the Cardinals was .328/.420/.617 with 40 homers, 41 doubles and an OPS+ of 170. In his first two years with the Halos, though, those same statistics look like this: .275/.338/.485 with 24 homers, 34 doubles and an OPS+ of 130.

Why have Pujols’ stats been slipping? Surely, some of this decline is related to his advancing age—he turned 34 on January 16—as well as the fact that 2012 was his first season with a new team and in a new league, so some transition traps likely were at play.

Beyond that, though, Pujols’ underlying skills have fallen off, too. As impressive as his mainstream numbers were for 10 years, he was also was known for having a stellar eye. But over the past five years, he’s been enduring an icky combination of an increasing strikeout rate, a decreasing walk rate and worsening plate discipline.

Let’s start with those first two.

Whereas Pujols’ walk rate increased every single season from 2001 through 2009—that’s incredible, by the way—it’s dropped off regularly since that point, as the table shows. His last three seasons represent the three worst of his career.

Similarly, his strikeout rates three of the last four years have been his worst since his rookie season mark of 13.8 percent.

To be clear, Pujols’ performance in these areas is still above average, but the trend—for him—is clear.

Here’s where the rest of the plate-discipline story over the past five years—his contact and swing rates—gets told: 

Again, the trend is easy to spot, right? Pujols has been making contact less frequently while also swinging more often overall, especially at pitches outside the strike zone—perhaps the most alarming aspect of all this.

So the problems have been identified, but what’s the reason behind them?

Well, Pujols’ second season with the Angels was wrecked by injuries to his lower half, starting with right knee surgery last offseason, which was followed by a partially torn plantar fascia in his left foot during midsummer. That foot problem has become chronic.  

As such, Pujols spent much of the 2013 season playing well below 100 percent.

Need proof? Here’s Pujols’ account of his left-foot pain, as told to Bob Nightengale of USA Today—all the way back in early April 2013:

[Pujols] also can’t forecast the severity of pain in his left foot, plantar fasciitis, which has never bothered him so badly this early in a season.

Pujols, who had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee during the winter, believes the surgery might have created stress on his left foot.

“Usually, it bothers me the most late in a season,” Pujols said, “but this year it started early in spring training. I’m surprised. It’s never bothered me this early in a season.

“It’s never hurt this early in a season, not like this.”

In fact, Pujols told Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com last August that he had been playing at 45 percent for months. That estimate came about a week after a July 26 incident in which Pujols—his left foot already severely ailing by that point—suffered a tear in his plantar fascia, the connective tissue in the arch of his left foot.

That game actually proved to be his last. After using a walking boot and taking a couple of weeks to rest, Pujols finally was shut down for good in the middle of August, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times wrote.

That’s the primary reason the longtime first baseman wound up playing nearly twice as many games as the designated hitter (65 to 34).

The good news? Pujols made it clear last November—three-and-a-half months after the tear—that his left foot was more or less as good as new, per Gonzalez.

“Last year … it was a really tough year for me physically, in terms of recovering,” Pujols said. “But now I feel really good, really excellent. With the foot, I feel 99.9 percent healthy.”

If that’s true, there’s a chance Pujols can regain some of his superstardom, even at this late stage in his career. To do so, though, he will have to be able to rely on his lower half—especially his right knee and left foot—to allow him to do what he once excelled at: driving the ball, particularly the other way.

In general, there seems to be a little bit of a bad-luck factor at play in some respects. For instance, Pujols’ power over the past two seasons has been impacted negatively by his HR/FB rate—that is, the percentage his fly balls that go over the fence—which dropped to 14 percent in 2012 and 11 percent last year, both of which are his lowest ever.

By comparison, Pujols’ career HR/FB rate is 18.7 percent, and until 2012, at least 15.8 percent of his flies have been homers every single season of his career, many of which were better than 20 percent.

Then there’s the more opposite field power. Take a look at Pujols’ noticeable drop-off in slugging percentage from two different periods, 2009-2011 compared to 2012-2013, via Brooks Baseball‘s customizable heat maps of Pujols’ hitting zone (recreated here in table form):

It’s immediately obvious that Pujols’ ability to drive anything from the middle of the plate and out, as well as middle of the plate and up, was dramatically reduced over the past two seasons.

No doubt that had something to do with his knee and/or foot injuries, as strength and balance from the lower half is paramount when hitting the ball the other way.

It’s fair to wonder whether Pujols can “relearn” how to bash balls to the opposite field again after two seasons struggling to do so. Even more so when he’ll also have other aspects of his offensive game to address—namely, cutting back on that nasty habit of chasing pitches out of the strike zone.

Then again, if a healthy Pujols really is a machine, he probably has the software needed for the reboot.

Statistics from FanGraphs were used for this story.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11

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Robinson Cano‘s ten-year, $240 million deal with the Seattle Mariners, which was first reported by Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (spanish link) earlier in the day, ties him with Albert Pujols for the third-highest contract ever handed out to a major league player—Alex Rodriguez holds the record for the first two spots. 

While there are plenty of examples of players putting up elite numbers into their late-30’s, it’s still a significant risk for the M’s because of the likelihood that they’ll be paying Cano top dollar for at least a few seasons when he’ll no longer be in his prime.

For every David Ortiz, who had a .959 OPS with 30 homers at the age of 37, there are several formerly great players who were out of the game by their early-to-mid 30’s because their skills had diminished to a point where they could no longer produce league average numbers. 

Contracts of this magnitude, years and dollars-wise, are still relatively new with the contract of Derek Jeter the only one amongst the top ten highest of all time that has expired. Therefore, it’s hard to point at any and declare Cano’s deal as a huge mistake by the Mariners.

But for what the players on this “10 Richest Contracts In MLB History” list have done on the field thus far and where they appear headed over the course of their deals, it’s not too early to pass judgment and place a grade on their impact. 

Each of the 10 slides contains contract details, average WAR per season over the course of the deal, a summary on the player’s impact and/or potential impact in the future and a letter grade.

The player’s contract, according to Baseball Prospectus, is listed. The player’s average WAR (wins above replacement) per season, according to Baseball-Reference, is also listed. 

Begin Slideshow

Albert Pujols didn’t define the St. Louis Cardinals franchise.

Sure, he was one of many cornerstone players to ever don the birds on the bat. But this rich and historic organization won before him and with him, and now they are winning without him.

From 2001-2011, the Cardinals won 40 postseason games, including two World Series championships with Pujols in the middle of the lineup. Following the Cardinals’ most recent title in 2011, Pujols walked as a free agent and signed a 10-year, $254 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

Life without this franchise’s most coveted star was surely going to be rough, right? Only the completely delirious believed such a notion.

Matter of fact, Pujols continues to help the Cardinals win crucial postseason games.

Think of it this way: had Pujols decided to stay under the Arch, owner Bill DeWitt and general manager John Mozeliak would have their hands tied for the next decade with such a monstrous contract making it nearly impossible to land key free agents and take on additional contracts.

With Pujols long gone, DeWitt and Mozeliak were able to keep the Cardinals core intact for years to come.

Yadier Molina, the best catcher in the game, signed a five-year, $75 million deal in March of 2012, pitching ace Adam Wainwright signed a five-year, $97.5 deal last March and Pujols’ current replacement, Allen Craig, agreed to a five-year, $31 million deal last March.

Behind the plate, Molina is the driving force behind the Cardinals’ pitching staff. His chemistry with each pitcher and overall knowledge of the game are second to none.

Wainwright closed out the 2006 World Series when the Cardinals extinguished the Tigers in five games, and he has another ring from the 2011 championship season.

Craig’s .454 average with runners in scoring position led the National League this season.

This is the same core of players that are annually displayed each October. 

Most importantly, when Pujols bolted for Los Angeles, the Angels dealt the Cardinals the 19th overall selection in the 2012 Amateur Draft. With the pick, the Cardinals took a young lad by the name of Michael Wacha out of Texas A&M.

For the second time in as many starts, the 22-year-old rookie flirted with a no-hitter. He made history Monday afternoon when he took his no-hit bid into the eighth inning of Game Four of the Division Series against the Pirates. It was the longest no-hit bid by a rookie pitcher in postseason history. In the biggest game of his life with his team on the verge of elimination, Wacha stood tall on the mound en route to forcing a decisive Game Five at Busch Stadium Wednesday night. 

Without Pujols, the Cardinals are continuing to venture down their illustrious postseason winning path. They’ve won nine playoff games games without him and are looking for their 12th World Series championship.

Thanks, Albert.

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There are just six days left in the 2013 regular season, and while four teams have clinched their divisions, there is still a lot left to be decided in the season’s final weekend.

As October approaches, a few teams in the playoff hunt are vying for better playoff position: Three teams in the National League Central − Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Cincinnati − are separated by just two games, while one game separates three teams for two American League wild-card berths.

It’s no secret getting hot late is a good thing. And luckily for these few teams, each has a player getting hot at the right time.

Let’s take a look.

Aroldis Chapman, closer: The St. Louis Cardinals have won two championships recently despite losing their season-opening closer both times. And the importance of having a proven closer has certainly taken a hit in the last few seasons.

But for the Cincinnati Reds, having Aroldis Chapman heading into October has paid dividends and will continue to throughout the post-season.

Chapman has posted a 2.63 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 38 saves and a 15.6 strikeouts per nine innings ratio in 2013. When the Reds have a close lead in the ninth inning, Chapman has been consistent when called for the final three outs — and he delivers, often with triple-digit fastball velocity.

In 2013, Chapman has limited his walks, dropping from 7.4 walks-per-nine-innings rate in 2011 to 3.4 in 2013. His overpowering two-pitch arsenal coupled with few errors has produced an air of inevitability for the Reds when he takes the mound in the ninth.

Needless to say, Chapman is proof having an established closer in the ninth works. The likes of Keith Foulke and Brad Lidge helped the Red Sox and Phillies win the World Series in 2004 and 2008. Chapman will certainly aim to do the same.

Matt Carpenter, second base: Matt Carpenter is not having a pretty good year — he’s having an MVP-caliber year.

Just two days ago, Carpenter belted a fifth-inning double versus the Brewers to bring his 2013 doubles total to 54 — surpassing Stan Musial for the most doubles by a left-handed hitter in the club’s history. It also put the Cardinals two games ahead in the NL Central.

In 2013, Carpenter has seen the ball arguably better than anyone in baseball. And his role as the Cardinals’ lead-off hitter, coupled with his multi-position eligibility, makes him one of the league’s most valuable players heading into the post-season.

He is fifth in batting average (.324), ninth in OBP (.397), and first in both hits (197) and runs scored (124) in the MLB.

What’s equally impressive is how productive Carpenter has been throughout the month of September. Carpenter has batted .396 with 24 runs and a .481 OBP. Not to mention he is the leader in both runs scored and hits during this span.

Not only does he collect hits, he has an uncanny ability to string them together. His ability to wear down pitchers and produce on a consistent basis is one of the few reasons the Cardinals rank fourth in batting average.

But consider this: Carpenter is three hits away from becoming the first Cardinals player to reach 200 hits in a single season since Albert Pujols. And he has done so while adapting to full-time duty at second base.

And if the Cardinals are to make a playoff push come October, Carpenter will have to sustain his production.

Alexi Ogando, pitcher: Ogando’s presence has certainly been felt throughout 2013.

The Dominican Republic native is 7-4 with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. More impressive has been how dependable Ogando has been in his last few starts.

In the month of September, Ogando has performed well in playoff-implicating games versus stiff competition and has been the Rangers’ lone bright spot.

Versus Kansas City last Sunday, the right-hander pitched tossed seven scoreless frames and fanned five batters against a team that was threatening to jump Texas in the playoff race.

He is 2-0 with a .50 ERA and 14 strikeouts in two starts this month.

Fittingly enough, Ogando will take the mound this Friday versus the Angels — a team he has been largely successful against — which could play a deciding role in the Rangers’ post-season positioning. Chances are, Ogando will prove his worth in yet another heightened contest.

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If the owner of your favorite baseball team has a “win at all cost” attitude, that’s usually a good thing, right? Yes! Being aggressive and spending money has paid off for many eventual World Series champions. But it’s also resulted in some very dire situations, notably in the case of Arte Moreno and the Los Angeles Angels. 

Saddled with two of the worst contracts in baseball—Albert Pujols, whose numbers have declined in three consecutive seasons, is still owed $212 million through his age-41 season in 2021; Josh Hamilton, also in the midst of his worst big league season, is due $106 million through his age-36 season—the Angels are headed for an extremely important offseason that is likely to be challenging in terms of a limited payroll and limited trade pieces in the minors. 

General manager Jerry Dipoto, assuming he still has a job after a very disappointing season, will have to be creative if he wants to improve this ballclub.

It’s hard to do any worse than he did last offseason, when he took on the risk of signing Hamilton, signed Joe Blanton to a two-year, $16.5 million deal—Blanton was recently banished to the bullpen after pitching poorly out of the rotation—and acquired Tommy Hanson from the Braves for reliever Jordan Walden—Hanson was recently optioned to the minors while Walden has been a key component on a very good Braves team. 

In addition, Dipoto‘s two big bullpen acquisitions haven’t worked out due to injuries—Ryan Madson never made it back from Tommy John surgery before being released; Sean Burnett has pitched just 9.2 innings and is out for the season with an elbow injury. And to cap it off, Ervin Santana, who was traded to Kansas City for a 27-year-old minor league relief pitcher, has been Cy Young-caliber in 2013. 

Pointing out the few minor roster moves that have worked out won’t make things look much better. In order to make the Angels a playoff contender once again in 2014, they’ll need to utilize the few resources they have and get as much value out of them as possible. 

Despite the overall struggles of the pitching staff, three-fifths of the starting five—Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Garrett Richards—are pretty solid. Fixing the back of the rotation on a limited budget isn’t impossible.  

Making up for Pujols’ decline and the production he’s given them versus what they’re paying him is the bigger challenge. Here’s my suggestion on how they can make up the difference on a shoestring budget and with no farm system talent to deal.

Trade Howie Kendrick to Free Up Salary and Clear Spot For Grant Green

Could it be that Dipoto fleeced the division rival A’s by trading a light-hitting third baseman for a guy with the potential to be a very good one? Grant Green (pictured), who was drafted as a shortstop and has played all over the diamond before settling into second base this season, has been on fire (14-for-51, 2 2B, 5 BB) since being acquired for Alberto Callaspo at the trade deadline. 

Callaspo is doing a fine job in a part-time role with Oakland (.785 OPS in 17 games), but he was miscast as an everyday third baseman in Anaheim, and the Angels needed to shed his $4.875 million salary for 2014.

Not only will they save close to $19 million over the next two seasons by trading away Kendrick, but they could also add a starting pitcher or a couple of prospects in the deal—it’s tough to find a match for a team in need of a second baseman and that is willing to give up a quality third baseman in return. 

Trading Kendrick to the Dodgers, who were reportedly in talks with the Angels last month regarding the second baseman, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, could be revisited. While top pitching prospect Zach Lee was part of the trade package being discussed, there’s a chance that the insistence of his inclusion might be the reason why the deal didn’t happen. 

If the Angels took back Stephen Fife (2.47 ERA in nine MLB starts) instead to fill the fifth spot in their rotation and asked for the team’s top outfield prospect, Joc Pederson, who likely won’t make it to the majors on a Dodgers team deep in outfield talent, we could have a deal.  

Trade Peter Bourjos for Chase Headley

With Pederson on board, the Angels would be free to shop Peter Bourjos with Mike Trout moving over to center field. While he’s been injured for much of the season, the 26-year-old Bourjos has been productive when on the field. 

In 45 games, Bourjos has a .780 OPS with three homers and four stolen bases. If he can stay healthy, a team could get a terrific defensive center fielder with an ability to hit 10-15 homers and steal 25-30 bases. With third base the target, the Angels need to find out if the Padres are interested in three seasons of Bourjos—he won’t be a free agent until after the 2016 season—in exchange for one season of Chase Headley (pictured).

While the Padres already have an injury-prone Cameron Maybin signed long-term to play center field in San Diego, adding another speedy outfielder like Bourjos could still be a possibility.

Here’s why. The Padres have likely figured out that oft-injured Carlos Quentin isn’t capable of holding up for an entire season in the National League. Moving him to an American League team that will be able to place him in the designated hitter role for a majority of the time makes a lot of sense. They’ll need an outfielder to replace him, and that’s where Bourjos fits in. 

With an alignment of Maybin, Bourjos and Will Venable, the Padres’ outfield defense could be one of the best in baseball. Losing Headley and Quentin will leave a huge hole in the offense, but neither player factors into the future plans of the team. How they replace the loss of offense in 2014 is another story. 

As for the Angels, they might have to include a mid-level prospect to get the deal done, but the 29-year-old Headley‘s value has plummeted with his subpar season. It might not take much to get him. His projected $9-10 million salary for 2014 is likely affordable with Kendrick and Callaspo off the books.

Sign Eric Chavez in Case Pujols Misses Time

A native San Diegan, Eric Chavez (pictured) could get closer to home by signing with the Angels this winter after two consecutive productive seasons (.855 OPS, 25 HR in 2012-13) as a part-time player for the Yankees and Diamondbacks.

Because the 35-year-old still can’t shake the injury-prone tag—he’s been on the disabled list multiple times over the past few seasons—coming back to the American League is likely so he can log at-bats from the designated hitter spot. It’s also the reason his salary demands will stay low enough for the Angels to afford him and the reason he won’t be offered a full-time starting gig elsewhere. 

Resulting Lineup Projection

1. Mike Trout, CF
2. Chase Headley, 3B
3. Albert Pujols, DH
4. Josh Hamilton, RF
5. Mark Trumbo, 1B
6. Joc Pederson, LF
7. Grant Green, 2B
8. Erick Aybar, SS
9. Chris Iannetta, C

Bench
Hank Conger, C
Eric Chavez, 3B/1B
Andrew Romine, IF
J.B. Shuck, OF

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I don’t know if Albert Pujols has ever taken performance-enhancing drugs. Frankly, I don’t care. The Steroid Era in baseball, which rather seamlessly morphed into the PED Era, has become so much more about defending one’s innocence that it could ever be about actually, you know, being innocent.

Baseball moralists—many of whom consistently looked the other way as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were saving the sport in the 1990s yet seem to revel in the demise of today’s cheaters with perverted delight—have a difficult conundrum on their hands: Should they believe Pujols when he defends his Hall of Fame-caliber career, or believe former St. Louis Cardinal All-Star Jack Clark, who recently accused Pujols of cheating?

Facts, in this particular drug allegation, are hard to come by. The only facts we know are that Clark went on his new radio show and accused Pujols of taking steroids early in his career, Pujols denied those claims, and Clark was removed from his radio job. That’s the black and white in this story, with the rest, like everything in this era in Major League Baseball, swathed in a sea of gray.

Clark claimed that Chris Mihlfeld, a former trainer for Pujols, told Clark in 2000—when both worked in the Dodgers organization—that the trainer “shot Pujols up” with drugs earlier in his career. Clark said that he didn’t know who Pujols was at the time, but Mihlfeld told him the slugger would soon be a star. Pujols debuted in the majors in 2001 and has been a star ever since.

Clark could have been seen as a former player outing one of this generation’s greats in an effort to clean up the game. Some in the moralizing media might love that. At the same time, Clark waited a decade to out Pujols, in the first week as host on a St. Louis sports talk radio show that, clearly, got him national attention. It also got him fired.

The moralists might have issue with that.

It’s easy to take the side of Pujols here, if you were inclined to take sides in public debates about players accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs with very little facts. There would be no reason not to believe him, especially after Clark was professionally exposed.

This all stems back to the Pujols denial. That glorious denial.

Via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, here is the Pujols denial, broken into paragraphs with an explanation as to why this is, unequivocally, the greatest denial in PED history. The moralists should want to build a statue out of this denial.

I’ve said time and time again that I would never take, or even consider taking, anything illegal. I’ve been tested hundreds of times throughout my career and never once have I tested positive. It is irresponsible and reckless for Jack Clark to have falsely accused me of using PEDs.

First, Pujols isn’t just denying the claims by Clark, he’s reiterating his previous denials. This is subtle but smart in that he immediately reminds people that this is not the first time accusations have been levied against him and, per his defense, wrongfully so.

Not only would Pujols never take PEDs, he makes the case that he wouldn’t even consider it. He wouldn’t even consider considering it, really. And like all former cheaters in baseball—not suggesting Pujols is, but this part of his statement is something the former cheaters always say—he reminded everyone he’s never failed a test, which is a false argument anyway, considering that failing a drug test is barely even the way MLB catches cheaters in the game these days.

My faith in Jesus Christ, and my respect for this game are too important to me. I would never be able to look my wife or kids in the eye if I had done what this man is accusing me of.

Respecting the game is great, but nothing and nobody trumps Jesus Christ. By invoking Jesus, Pujols effectively ends the entire conversation. Referencing faith as the reason he would never cheat—as if faith precludes people from any moral impropriety—is a moralist’s dream. Adding in the notion that he wouldn’t be able to look at his wife and kids is the syrup on this faith-and-family-values sundae. 

I know people are tired of athletes saying they are innocent, asking for the public to believe in them, only to have their sins exposed later down the road. But I am not one of those athletes, and I will not stand to have my name and my family’s name, dragged through the mud. I am currently in the process of taking legal action against Jack Clark and his employers at WGNU (920 AM).

This is where the Pujols denial separates itself from other denials. His agent, or whoever wrote this statement, deserves a raise.

The statement reminds people that known cheaters like Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez have publicly professed innocence—without using their names, everyone knows who this statement is referencing—which makes the public skeptical when players who are actually clean say they are clean. By acknowledging that fact, the Pujols statement expertly separates him from the other unbelievable denials of the past, thereby doubling down on his own veracity. (This is so wonderfully meta.) 

In addition, Pujols invokes his family into the conversation for the second time. It’s one thing to sully his name, but HOW DARE YOU sully the name of his family, Jack Clark.

And then, the denial coup de grace: the threat of legal action. 

In today’s society, you don’t even have to take legal action on anyone, so long as you publicly and angrily announce that you plan to take legal action.

In this situation, the threat was enough for the radio station that sub-contracted Clark to terminate the relationship after a week. Now, in theory, Pujols won’t even have to sue Clark or the radio station because getting the public to think he will serves the same purpose. It’s brilliant, really. 

I am going to send a message that you cannot act in a reckless manner, like they have, and get away with it. If I have to be the athlete to carry the torch and pave the way for other innocent players to see that you can do something about it, I am proud to be that person.

Message sent and received.

I have five young children and I take being a role model very seriously. The last thing I want is for the fans, and especially the kids out there, to question my reputation and character.

It’s about the kids, folks. And not just his kids, but all of our kids, too. Thanks, Albert, for defending your name in such a way that my kids know, once and for all, you are not a cheater.

OK, fine. That part I’m mocking a bit because somewhere along the way, baseball hand-wringers have convinced players that cheating is about a message it sends to the kids. Jumping to conclusions and making decisions about players based on how good a quote they are might send a worse message to kids, but we never really talk much about that, do we?

Three references to family aside, the brilliance of combining family, society, religion, respect for the game and his past history of never failing a test is, truly, the greatest anti-drug statement of all time. This is better than Braun’s claims of innocence in 2011, which fans now look back on with rolled eyes. This is better than Rafael Palmiero’s finger wagging to Congress, too.

It’s the best. This is the holy grail of denials. Anytime a player is accused of taking PEDs in the future, his agent should copy and paste this statement and just change a few words to make it sound fresh.

For what it’s worth, I don’t want anyone to think I don’t believe Pujols. Frankly, the statement was so expertly ironclad it would be incredibly cynical for anyone to not believe it. In a way, it was too good.

Does Jack Clark’s 13-year-old story really deserve such a vehement statement? If anything, the level of defiance in this statement is the only thing that has me wondering if there’s some validity to the accusations. I’ve been on record that I’ve never cared if a player takes a substance to enhance his performance. It would be a much bigger issue if the rumors floated by Dan Le Batard in 2011—that Pujols is older than he claims—were true. That would show less respect for the game and personal integrity than taking a few drugs to help him hit a ball better.

And yet for those who care about a player’s drug-related cleanliness, this Pujols denial is manna to be devoured and regurgitated with all those other statements from players who want the game to be cleaned up for good.

It’s perfect, really. Almost too perfect.

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Albert Pujols‘ bothersome left foot injury is about to cost the Los Angeles Angels slugger significant time out of the lineup.

According to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Pujols has left the team and returned to Southern California to have his foot evaluated after suffering another setback Friday night:

#Angels DH Albert Pujols has returned to SoCal to be evaluated. Re-injured L foot Fri night. Doesn’t look good. Out for a while.

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) July 27, 2013

The Angels are in Oakland this weekend for a critical series against the AL West-leading Athletics. Pujols was in the lineup Friday night and went 1-for-5, including a single that sent home two runs in the top of the ninth. When Pujols reached first base, however, Angels skipper Mike Scioscia was forced to send in Collin Cowgill as a pinch runner.

Pujols, in his second season in Los Angeles, has struggled throughout the 2013 campaign with plantar fasciitis. Though the 33-year-old slugger has stayed in the lineup on almost an everyday basis, DiGiovanna is speculating this latest setback will likely send him to the disabled list:

My take on Pujols from covering Scioscia for many years. By way #Angels MGR spoke today, Albert appears headed for DL.

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) July 27, 2013

Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register had the Los Angeles skipper’s quote on Pujols’ status, agreeing with DiGiovanna’s expectation of a DL stint:

Scioscia, on Pujols: “It’s sorer than anything he’s dealt with.” Dont be surprised if this is finally the DL for Pujols. #Angels

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) July 27, 2013

Pujols has missed just two games all season, but the affect of Pujols’ lingering foot injury has been apparent. The slugger’s bout with plantar fasciitis has rendered him unable to play the field for much of the season and significantly affected his plate approach. The injury has gotten to the point he’s even talked about the possibility of offseason surgery with Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

“When we get to that point, we’ll talk about it,” Pujols said. “I’m definitely going to try to do something after the season to help me out and not play in that pain I’ve been playing in. There’s no doubt that I’ll be a full-time first baseman next year.”

Pujols is batting a career-low .258 this season with 17 home runs and 64 RBI. At his current pace, Pujols would fail to reach 30 home runs for the first time in his career.

Having signed a 10-year, $254 million contract with the Angels before the 2012 season, Pujols’ first two years in Los Angeles have been a struggle. He needed a torrid end to the season to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBI last year, as he set career lows in batting average and on-base percentage.

The former St. Louis Cardinals great has been a significant factor in the Angels’ disappointing 2013 season as well. The high-priced squad is 48-53 heading into Saturday’s action, 11 games behind the Athletics. Los Angeles is also 8.5 games out of the second wild-card spot.

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The St. Louis Cardinals will spend Independence Day in 2013 remembering the day Albert Pujols became independent from their team.

This week’s three-game series against the Anaheim Angels will mark the first time ever that the Cardinals will take the field against the man once deemed to be the organization’s successor to Stan Musial.

His departure sent Cardinals Nation reeling as fans wondered how the team would get by without their superstar first baseman. The answer to that question has been quite obvious: just fine.

The Cardinals weathered not only the loss of Pujols, but the absence of iconic manager Tony La Russa and longtime pitching coach Dave Duncan as well.

No one could have predicted that in the year after those three losses and during the rookie season of manager Mike Matheny, the Cardinals would come to within one win of their second World Series appearance in as many seasons.

Despite the fact that there were seriously hurt feelings on both sides when Pujols left, the chance to play against him for the first time should bring about a sense of nostalgia.

Sure, most were upset to see him go, but at the same time, we should remember that during the Pujols era, the Cardinals saw more amazing feats accomplished than some organizations see in a lifetime.

Following are 10 of the top highlights from Pujols’ career as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Begin Slideshow

It’s hard to look at Albert Pujols these days without asking, “Man, what the heck happened?”

The last time we saw Pujols in St. Louis Cardinals red, he was standing tall at the top of the baseball mountain after a 37-homer regular season that constituted a bad year. He was also celebrating the second World Series victory of his career, having helped the Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers with a 1.064 OPS in the seven games.

The man was a baseball god. 

Less than two years later, we’re looking at Pujols in Los Angeles Angels red and what we see is anything but a god. What we see is an albatross, not to mention the latest case study of how albatrosses come to be.

What he goes to show is that, shoot, it really doesn’t take much.

What’s happening to Pujols on the field isn’t the result of some sinister conspiracy. He’s old and beat up, and he’s playing like a guy who’s old and beat up.

The exact number varies depending on who you ask—and J.C. Bradbury of Baseball Prospectus and Mitchel Lichtman of Hardball Times are two good people to ask—but the conventional wisdom is that ballplayers peak around their late 20s, and that it’s all downhill from there.

Pujols warned, in 2011 at the age of 31, that he wasn’t going to be immune to this reality, and it’s only become increasingly obvious since his arrival in Anaheim just how not immune to it he really is.

Even after he shrugged off a brutal start to finish strong, the 2012 season was still the worst of Pujols’ career. After averaging a 1.037 OPS and 40 homers per year in his first 11 seasons, he could only manage an .859 OPS and 30 homers in his first season with the Angels.

This year, of course, has been worse. Pujols started the season strong with a .322/.431/.508 line through his first 16 games, but has since sunk to .169/.225/.310 over his last 17. He’s grounded into more double plays (four) than he’s hit home runs (three).

The pain hasn’t helped. Pujols had knee surgery over the offseason and has been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot from the get-go. 

“I’m dying,” he told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times in late April. “It’s hurting real bad.”

An American League scout who spoke to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News put it bluntly: “He’s got bad wheels. I bet he doesn’t play more than 50 games at first this year.”

He may be right. The Angels have played 34 games, and Pujols has started at first base in only half of those. When he has played first base, he’s posted a .616 OPS. When he’s DH’d, he’s posted an .828 OPS. The writing is on the wall that Pujols should be barred from first base until further notice.

Pujols isn’t as broken as Alex Rodriguez, as the Angel at least still has two working hips and a pair of knees that have only undergone one surgery. But there’s no denying that he’s trending toward becoming a broken down shell of his former self, just as A-Rod is now with four full years still to go on his 10-year, $275 million contract.

The Angels may be wishing that Pujols’ deal only had four years left on it. It has twice that many years remaining on it, and his is a back-loaded deal. The first four years (2012-15) the contract will pay him $75 million. The last four (2018-21) will pay $114 million.

So yeah, if you think Pujols is an albatross now, just wait until those four years come along. Not that it’s going to be his fault, of course. It’s not his fault now, mind you. I’m as distressed as anyone by his situation, but neither I nor anyone else can blame the guy for anything.

Pujols can’t be scolded for getting old. He can’t be scolded for getting hurt. And he certainly can’t be scolded for being willing to sign a contract that guaranteed him $240 million. The only thing to scold is the process that resulted in Pujols’ contract coming to fruition.

It was a two-sided process, with the Cardinals on one side doing things one way and the Angels on the other side doing things another way.

Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal took a dive into the Cardinals’ side of the process in an article posted earlier this week. Costa got Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak to admit that he was “down, depressed, disheartened” when Pujols signed with the Angels, but Mozeliak also highlighted how the Cardinals weren’t as desperate to keep his star first baseman as the Angels were to steal him away. The story went a little something like this:

Mozeliak said several different contract structures were discussed in the final days of Pujols’s free agency, but those proposals were never substantially better than that spring-training offer [reported to be worth over $200 million].

Two days before Pujols agreed to terms with the Angels, Mozeliak sent an email to Cardinals owner Bill Dewitt Jr. asking, in essence: Is it time to forget discipline and bid whatever it takes, given Pujols’s importance to the franchise? But both men remained wary of committing so much to one player.

“In the end, it came down to business discipline versus emotionally driven negotiation,” Mozeliak said.

As Costa pointed out, the Cardinals’ discipline is paying off. Despite not having any big contracts at first base, Cardinals first basemen rank in the top five in MLB in both Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA) and Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) since the start of 2012, according to FanGraphs.

Business discipline, meanwhile, is something that basically had no place in the Angels’ decision to go as hard after Pujols as they did.

In an interview with GQ magazine last April, Angels owner Arte Moreno explained that the decision to go after Pujols had much to do with the club’s new television contract: “We’d just signed an 18-plus-year [deal] through ’30, we have no debt, and we have a payroll that gives us all the flexibility to make the decisions we want to make.”

In other words: We suddenly had a ton of money on our hands, so why the heck not? That’s fine, but vast sums of money are still best served being invested in players, and that’s not really what Moreno did. Here’s a telling quote from Moreno:

We had done homework on the type of person he was, you know a family guy, and where he was from, etc., etc. So I asked Dan [Lozano, Pujols’s agent] if my wife and I could get on the phone with the player and his wife, if they were available.

And why was it important for Moreno’s own wife to be a part of the conversation?

I think I had read a lot of the decisions they made were made together, with their family, with their four kids. And I knew that they met in Kansas City, and I had met my wife in Kansas City, and my wife had grown up in Kansas, and his wife was born and raised in Kansas City, and he went to high school there. And I just felt that there was a connection. So it was important for me to help them to understand how important community involvement was for us and that we really work hard to make sure this is a family environment.

Moreno’s overture had the desired effect. 

“What he made me feel in those phone calls I had with him was how bad he wanted me,” Pujols told Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com in 2011. He added: “I’m like, ‘How about this guy? I don’t even know him.’ And when I made that decision, he told me that I was his partner, and that means a lot.”

Dan Lozano hit the nail on the head: “I think he was just able to touch a part in Albert’s heart that not a lot of other people were able to get to.”

What the Cardinals were concerned about was exactly how much they were willing to invest in Albert Pujols, the baseball player. Based on Moreno’s approach to the situation, he was at least as concerned (if not more) with how much he was willing to invest in Albert Pujols, the person.

Somebody was going to pay Pujols eventually, of course. He would have gotten his $200 million contract one way or another, and nothing would have stopped him from slipping into the downward spiral that he’s caught in now.

But once again, it’s hard to ignore the parallels between Pujols and A-Rod (in this case) how both their contracts came to be. Moreno is very much responsible for the Pujols signing, as he took precedent over his baseball people to get it done (Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports wagged his finger at Moreno for this last month).

When A-Rod opted out of his contract with the New York Yankees in 2007, Bill Madden of the New York Daily News wrote that it was to general manager Brian Cashman’s “great relief.” But a few weeks later, Hank Steinbrenner went over the baseball people and gave A-Rod his monster contract to make sure he didn’t get away, as told by Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News.

Going over the baseball people isn’t a good idea. They know baseball, after all, and they know that stars are defined not by their names but by their numbers, from their batting averages to their ages.

The Yankees invested in a name when A-Rod was re-signed, and they’re paying for it. The Angels did the same thing with Pujols, and they’re only beginning to pay for it. This is how albatross contracts happen. All it takes is the influence of Father Time and a bold choice where there should have been a measured choice.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter. 

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After a dominant 10-0 victory on Saturday, for the first time this season, the Los Angeles Angels bats and pitching came together for their most complete win of the season, bringing them to 6-10. 

Not that their bats haven’t been hitting well (with the exception of a horrifically slow start for newly acquired Josh Hamilton), but it’s been the Angels pitching that has faltered in this early part of the season.  

Saturday, however, they looked great as a team.  And two players, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, hit the ball like the players everyone expects them to be.

So who will have the better season of the two this year?  

Reigning National League Rookie of the Year Mike Trout went 2-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored.  Though he got off to a relatively slow start this season, he now has a slash line of .304/.347/.522 with two home runs, a triple, seven doubles, 11 RBI, 11 runs scored and a stolen base.  Starting to look pretty good, isn’t he?

Pujols, on the other hand, went 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI and one run scored.  Though he’s been notorious for getting off to slow starts in his career, he currently has a slash line of .322/.431/.508 with two home runs, five doubles, 11 RBI and seven runs scored.

Both players are dominant forces in any lineup and are arguably already considered candidates for the American League’s Most Valuable Player award.  And while he may not put up the power numbers that Pujols will, Trout will surely see plenty more triples and is always a huge threat on the basepaths.

I’ve always thought that after Pujols’ first year in Los Angeles, he would settle down and regain his power stroke after hitting only .285 last season with 30 home runs.  Weird thinking that those numbers would be underachieving for most players, but let’s be honest now, this is Prince Albert we’re talking about here.  

Trout, on the other hand, had a season for the history books last year, but unfortunately, I don’t think there’s anyway he can replicate the numbers that he put up in 2012, especially after missing almost the first whole month of the season.  

Sure, there’s always the argument that many players suffer from the “sophomore slump,” but I don’t think that will be the case for Trout in his second full season with the Angels.   

Whatever happens, both players should put up monster numbers in 2013.  Especially with this lineup surrounding them and with Josh Hamilton’s bat inevitably coming back to life in the near future.  

So who will it be: Pujols or Trout?

My guess is Pujols will have the more impressive numbers this season, especially hitting behind Trout and in front of Hamilton and Mark Trumbo.  He’s just too good of a player and will not have a third season in a row hitting under .300.  

Will he have 40 or 50 home runs this season?  My guess is he’ll be somewhere in the high 30s, but his batting average should be around his lifetime average of .324, if not higher.

Now I’m not saying that Trout will have an off-year by any means, but I just don’t think he’ll achieve the same numbers he put up last season, though he should certainly have a tremendous season as well.

What do you think?  Am I wrong?  Who’s going to have the better season of the two: Pujols or Trout?

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