Cardinals Legend Albert Pujols Interested in Becoming MLB Manager

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVMarch 4, 2024

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Albert Pujols will forever be a Major League Baseball legend thanks to his incredible playing career, but he is open to contributing to the game in a different fashion.

“Yeah,” Pujols told Sam Blum of The Athletic when asked if he would be interested in managing one day. “I think, why not? I think if the opportunity is right one day, I think I’ll be ready for that.”

The future Hall of Famer retired after the 2022 season, but he has stayed close to the game with various roles, including a managerial job with the Los Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Republic and a special assistant role with the MLB commissioner’s office.

He has also been at Spring Training with the Los Angeles Angels as a guest instructor thanks to the 10-year, $10 million post-retirement personal services contract he signed with the team.

Pujols is also familiar with some of the most successful managers in recent MLB history having played for Tony La Russa, Mike Scioscia and Joe Maddon.

“I was blessed to have an opportunity to have one of the best, Tony La Russa,” he said. “Then I went from St. Louis to another probably future Hall of Fame manager in Scioscia. Then you got Joe and (Dave) Roberts. And then two years ago with Oli Marmol, who has a lot of things to offer to the game.

“You learn a lot. You pick their brain. I was always that kind of player that asked questions.”

Being that kind of player worked, as he finished his career with a resume that included two World Series crowns, three league MVPs, a Rookie of the Year, a batting title, six Silver Slugger Awards, two Gold Gloves and 11 All-Star selections.

Pujols led the league in home runs twice on his way to 703 long balls and is a near lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he is eligible.

The idea of Pujols eventually becoming a manager is not a new one.

He told reporters in March 2023 after his retirement that he would like to have a coaching role one day and saw the post-retirement deal with the Angels as an opportunity to pick up some experience.

Managing the Los Leones del Escogido during winter league will also give him in-game experience and an idea of what it is like to be in charge of lineups and pitching decisions on a consistent basis.

Perhaps it will eventually lead to a managing job down the line, but he has no shortage of opportunities around the game he dominated for so long even in retirement.