Re-United!

The last time Albert Pujols donned a Cardinals jersey the city of St Louis was celebrating a World Series championship. In the 12 Years since they haven't returned, but that doesn't mean he is the missing piece. In his last season as a Cardinal, Pujols hit 37 home runs with a batting average of 299. Oh, and he was fifth in MVP voting. St Louis addressed the newly adopted designated hitter (DH) rule by signing Corey Dickerson earlier this Spring, but him being an average lefty at best they needed power from the right side. The feel good story is great, they got him on the cheap plus the Cards will double down on veteran presence by pairing him with longtime teammate Yadier Molina. The main issue the Cards will have this season is their pitching rotation. With Flaherty starting the year on the IL and Mikolas coming off a UCL injury the Cardinals will have to rely on 40-year-old Adam Wainwright to carry the load. Sean Manaea is a name floating around the clubhouse as a potential trade target but the free agency pool has seemingly run dry. Fortunately, the rest of the division has regressed with the Reds in a wholesale, the Pirates in full rebuild mode and the Cubs and Brewers missing out on top guys. Ultimately the Pujols signing is fanfare as he announced this to be his last season in the majors, but I think there will be some magical nights at Busch Stadium this season when #5 comes up to the plate.