Albert Pujols agreed to an incentive-laden one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. At least one of those incentives is not something the Cardinals will have to worry about paying anytime soon.
Pujols will receive a base salary of $2.5 million, but his deal is loaded with bonuses for various achievements. Perhaps the silliest, as reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network, is the $100,000 Pujols would receive for winning a Gold Glove.
Albert Pujols, Cardinals
$2,500,000/1 yearPlus: $100,000 for All Star
$100,000 for Gold Glove
$50,000 for Silver Slugger
$100,000 for MVP ($50,000-2nd thru 10th)
$50,000 for DS/MVP
$100,000 for LCS/MVP
$150,000 for WS/MVP— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 28, 2022
Pujols probably will not even get the chance to earn a Gold Glove, with the Cardinals poised to use him largely as a part-time designated hitter and bench bat. He has not even played 100 games in the field since the 2014 season.
The truth is that Pujols is unlikely to hit pretty much any of these incentives, and both sides know it. He has some utility off the bench, and combined with the feel-good factor of his return to St. Louis, that’s the big reason for his return.
Photo: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
