Albert Pujols said he rejected a $315M offer before signing a contract with the Angels in 2011.
The team who made the offer, which he didn’t reveal, is an hour and forty minutes from the Dominican Republic, he said.
(Via: @Matiasgarciard)
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Albert Pujols is best known for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals and later had some big accomplishments with the Los Angeles Angels. But he had an offer from another team before joining the Halos.
The St. Louis Cardinals have a very rich history. The organization was founded in 1892 and since then has won 11 World Series titles, 19 National League pennants, 12 NL Central titles and earned five wild card berths.
They have not reached the postseason since 2022, but still have had the pleasure of putting together some great teams with some all-time great players. Two of them, Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in September.
Pujols played 12 of his 22 seasons in St. Louis. He left for the Los Angeles Angels in 2012, split the 2021 season with the Halos and Los Angeles Dodgers and returned to St. Louis for his final season.
However, shortly before closing his first chapter in St. Louis and signing with the Angels, Pujols had a $315 million contract offer from the Miami Marlins that he ultimately turned down.
Albert Pujols said he rejected a $315M offer before signing a contract with the Angels in 2011.
The team who made the offer, which he didn’t reveal, is an hour and forty minutes from the Dominican Republic, he said.
(Via: @Matiasgarciard)
The Marlins were one of the teams in the mix for his services when he became a free agent after the 2011 season, and according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, that was the highest offer he received.
It was between, Miami, Los Angeles and St. Louis. The Cardinals didn’t want to give him a full 10 years, which the Angels ultimately did for over $250 million.
However, it is interesting to note that Pujols’ best offer did not come from the Angels.
In his career, Pujols won three National League MVP awards, two World Series titles and was an 11-time All-Star. After signing with the Angels, he still had some big moments, but he began to decline, and the Angels only reached the postseason once while he was there.
In 2021, the Angels released him and he joined the Dodgers for their postseason run. When he returned to St. Louis in 2022, he helped the Cardinals win another NL Central title and even reached and passed the 700-home run milestone.
He is mostly remembered for what he did in St. Louis as opposed to his time with the Angels or Dodgers. He was also named the NL Comeback Player of the Year in his final season with the Cardinals.
But it seems that the Cardinals weren’t the only ones that got the short end of the stick when Pujols signed with the Angels in free agency all those years ago. The Marlins may have ultimately gotten the worst of it after their offer was declined.
Obviously, a lot would be different. The Marlins were on a spending spree that offseason and even landed players like Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle. It appeared that they were finally ready to contend in 2012.
However, Pujols could have made them an even better team and given them a chance to potentially compete for an NL East title. Unfortunately for Miami, in addition to losing out on Pujols, they finished in last place in 2012 and have only reached the playoffs twice since then.
But it’s a classic case of what could have been. Perhaps Pujols could have been the missing piece as they tried to create their own dynasty.
Curt Bishop Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who has written for various outlets including Heavy Sports, Sports Illustrated, FanSided, The Sporting News, Newsweek and Yardbarker. His work entails mostly breaking and trending news with a concentration on Major League Baseball (MLB). Curt graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a bachelor's degree in communications with a focus on emerging and new media, as well as a music minor. More about Curt Bishop
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