Albert Pujols has landed a new job, and it is one that could help him on his quest to become the manager of an MLB team.
Pujols has agreed to a deal to become the manager of the Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, ESPN’s Enrique Rojas reported on Friday.
The team has not yet confirmed the news, with general manager Nelson Cruz telling Rojas that the Dominican Republic is “in the middle of the process” and will soon officially name a new manager.
Pujols, a native of the Dominican Republic, has some managerial experience. The 43-year-old recently led Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League to a winter league championship.
Japan, led by Shohei Ohtani, won the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2023. There have been five WBC tournaments since 2006 and Japan has won three of them. The Dominican Republic won in 2013 and the United States won in 2017.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic will begin on March 5 of next year,
Pujols has been open about his goal to manage an MLB team. He was viewed by some as a candidate for his former team not too long ago, but they have not made a switch yet.
Pujols dealt with some controversy during Leones del Escogido’s recent championship run. Pujols believed that a player on the opposing team may have been cheating, which led to some drama for the event.
An 11-time MLB All-Star, Pujols played 22 seasons in the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He ranks fourth on the NFL’s all-time home run list with 704. Pujols is one of only four players in MLB history to hit 700 or more home runs.
Pujols batted .296 for his career and drove in 2,218 runs, which ranks second all time. He won two World Series and was named National League MVP three times.
