Albert Pujols recently signed a one-year contract to return to St. Louis. Following the contract becoming official, Pujols also revealed that 2022 would be his final season in the big leagues, per Bob Nightengale. It could be a magical year for the Cardinals as they will feature a number of franchise legends on the roster including Pujols, Adam Wainwright, and Yadier Molina. 

Nightingale also shared that part of Pujols’s desire to retire in St. Louis was to finish his career with one of his closest friends, Yadier Molina. 

Molina’s first MLB season came in St. Louis in 2004, while Pujols had been with the team since 2001. The first base/catcher duo spent 2004-2011 together before Pujols ultimately signed with the Angels. Both are renowned Cardinal fan favorites and future Hall of Famers. The same can be said about Wainwright, who has been with the Cardinals since 2005. 

It is unfortunate that Pujols fell off towards the end of his tenure in Anaheim, because younger fans may not remember how dominant he was in a Cardinals uniform. The Slugger made 9 of his 10 All-Star appearances as a member of the Cardinals, and was once considered the best player in baseball by the general consensus of people around the game. In many ways, he was the Mike Trout of the 2000’s decade. 

Pujols has a shot of reaching 700 home runs for his career this season. He will enter the year with 679, meaning he will need to hit 21 homers to become just the fourth member of the 700 home run club and join the likes of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Barry Bonds. However, he has not hit over 20 bombs since 2019. 

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Regardless of if he reaches that milestone, Albert Pujols is already destined to be a first ballot Hall of Famer. The 3-time MVP and 2-time World Series champion will look to boost his career numbers and win one more World Series in his final big league campaign.