The fate of Albert Pujols was decided on Wednesday night. He was consigned to be the bench for another game. Then, the summons came from John Carpino, the president, and Perry Minasian, the general manager, of the Los Angeles Angels. There, he got to know of the sudden end to his almost decade-long run.
The End Of The Line For Albert Pujols At The Angels
The next morning, the official announcement came from the organization about Albert Pujols’ assignment. The procedural move will see Pujols released before the week is over. It has only been two months in the final year of Pujols’ contract of 10 years, worth $240 million.
This is the first season for Minasian as the GM for the Angels. He stated that the decision came from the department of baseball operations. Jerald Walsh, picked up in the 39th round, has continued evolving. Currently, he has high productivity as a hitter as well as being more dynamic while defending the first base. And then there is Shohei Ohtani as well. This season, he is one of the most menacing hitters in the game and has cemented his place as a designated hitter.
As such Pujols, whose OPS is 80 points less than the average of the league, has been left without a place. Minasian went on to say that the decision had more to do with opportunity. The organization felt that Albert Pujols is not a bench player, and it is not good for either of the parties concerned.
Albert Pujols, however, has his heart set on playing. He did let Minasian and Carpino know that. But there are limited opportunities, to say the least. Of the potential sides, there are the Cincinnati Reds, the Kansas City Royals, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Chicago White Sox.
The parties had negotiated for a while before agreeing that the assignment designation is the most acceptable.