Longtime major league veteran and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols was released by the Los Angeles Angels in the midst of the final year of his contract. While rumors circulated about potential teams having some interest in Pujols, the Dominican Republic is considering bringing Pujols on with the Olympic qualifier for the Tokyo Games set to take place, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. 

The 41-year-old was born in the Dominican Republic and would certainly be honored to compete for them in the Olympics. However, the fact that Pujols hasn't drawn much interest from MLB teams is a bit of a surprise. While the last couple of seasons weren't great for Pujols, he could still provide some offense and leadership for a team that is competing for a World Series.

The slugger hit just .198 with five homers and 12 RBI in 24 games for the Angels in 2021, with most of them being in a reserve role. Nonetheless, Pujols representing the Dominican Republic would be a big get for the Olympics and for the country as a whole.

The most logical options were the St. Louis Cardinals, where he spent the first 11 seasons of his career, and the Chicago White Sox, who are managed by former Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa. The fact that Pujols is still available shows just how much interest teams are expressing towards him.

The Olympic qualifiers for baseball will be from May 31 to June 5 in Florida, so Pujols has a little bit of time to make a decision and wait for the phone to ring with an offer from an MLB team.

If not, perhaps everybody will get to see the Hall of Famer ride out his baseball career in the Olympic Games while sporting a Dominican Republic uniform in Tokyo in the summer.