Photo Credit: USA Today
Albert Pujols found a new home and won’t be relocating too far as he’ll only have to take the Interstate 5 since he’s going to the Dodgers, which has shocked many on social media. It’s a move that does need to be looked at further as it raises the most important question, which is why? Well, the Dodgers bench hasn’t been hitting too well as Luke Raley, Sheldon Neuse, and DJ Peters are all hitting under .200, and with injuries to AJ Pollock and Edwin Rios, it really hurt their depth. Another thing going for Pujols is that he crushes left-handed pitching as he’s slashing .259/.286/.593 with an OPS+ of 174. One question that does need to be asked of Pujols as a player is what changed his mind?
According to media reports, when the Angels released Pujols, he wanted more playing time. He couldn’t get it because Shohei Ohtani and Jared Walsh earned more at-bats. With the Dodgers desperate for depth, he could get more playing time than what he did with the Angels, even in a bench or platoon role. Pujols’s decision to join the Dodgers was likely motivated by their chances of winning a World Series and coming to the realization of his role as a mentor. We should get more information when the team announces the deal on Monday.
The stars aligned for the Dodgers and Pujols. It may have convinced him of the kind of player he is now and what he can be for other Dodgers players as he looks to serve in another mentorship role. The one thing that also benefits the Dodgers is that they’ll only be on the hook to pay him the bare minimum, which is around $420,000 as the Angels are already paying the rest of his lofty contract he signed with the team back in 2012. No matter what kind of numbers Pujols puts up in a Dodgers uniform, it won’t hurt the team as they’re not really paying much and adds more depth to a banged-up team. We’ll have to wait and see how things turned out and how this deal came to be, but for now, it’ll be weird seeing Pujols in a Dodgers uniform, and sometimes you have to embrace the weirdness of it as the move probably makes the most sense for both sides.
Jacob Cisneros is a writer for Dodgers Tailgate. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @_JacobCisneros.
