Cleveland Indians: Could Albert Pujols be on the Tribe’s radar?

Could Albert Pujols be on the Cleveland Indians radar?

The Los Angeles Angles released veteran first baseman Albert Pujols on Thursday and while it might be a long shot to convince Pujols to join the Cleveland Indians, it isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. Coming off a 10-year, $240 million deal and with two rings in his pocket, Pujols might be looking for playing time to close out his career rather than another ring or pay day.

Now 41-years old, Albert Pujols has been able to stay in the field throughout his 21-year major league career that began in 2001. His first 11 seasons were spent with the St. Louis Cardinals before signing a massive deal with the Angels prior to the 2012 season.

Over those 21 seasons, Pujols has played mainly first base with nearly 2,000 games and over 16,500 innings at the position. However, he’s also put in time at third base, left field, right field and even a few innings at both second base and shortstop. This season alone, Pujols has played 20 games at first, totaling 164.1 innings. Now, he’s a free agent that might be looking to close out his career on his terms rather than a team’s.

For the Cleveland Indians, a team that has struggled to find offensive production from first base, this could be an opportunity to place a veteran in the batting order. Pujols isn’t what he used to be, but if he wants another contract, there might be a chance that Cleveland offers one, albeit a cheap one.

So far this season, Pujols is slashing just .198/.250/.372, but he’s been able to blast five home runs with 12 RBI. For comparison, even with his recent surge Jake Bauers is still slashing just .188/.278/.292 heading into the series finale with the Kansas City Royals with just the lone home run from earlier in the series and four RBI. Pujols and Bauers have both played in 24 games for these stats, but Pujols has 38 more at-bats.

Signing Albert Pujols isn’t as easy as just putting pen to paper once a number is agreed upon. The Cleveland Indians would have a lot of roster decisions that would go along with the signing. For starters, room would need to be made on the 40-man roster in some way. On top of that, odds are Bauers would be sent down to make room for Pujols on the major league roster. The trouble with that is Bauers is out of options, meaning he would have to pass through waivers.

Not only would the Tribe be adding another contract to the books, but signing Pujols could result in the potential loss of two players. With that being said, the power of Pujols might be an intriguing thought to at least explore. That power is what could keep Pujols around in the first place.

At the time of his release from the Angels, Pujols is sitting with 667 career home runs, needing 33 more to reach the 700 club. As it currently stands, Pujols is fifth all-time, but he could become just the fourth player in the history of Major League Baseball to eclipse 700 home runs after Alex Rodriguez fell four short of the mark.

The bad news for Pujols is that he hasn’t hit 33 home runs in a single season since he blasted 40 in 2015, which was also his last All-Star season. In fact, that was the only time he’s hit 33 or more since 2012. That means that Pujols would likely have to play this season and at least another to reach the milestone, but if teams are calling why not give it a shot?

Pujols is already etched in history as one of the best hitters the game has witnessed, at least in terms of power, despite leading the league in home runs just once in his career. With that being said, reaching the 700 mark and putting his name in a conversation that has just Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds would solidify his career as one of the best to-date.

Do I think that the Cleveland Indians will actually sign Albert Pujols? Probably not. However, if Bauers’ struggles continues and the front office doesn’t feel comfortable with Bobby Bradley at the major league level yet, Pujols could provide a bridge for this season and add some pop to the lineup while attempting to place his name on one of the most elite lists in sports.