Albert Pujols is back with the Los Angeles Angels, but it is not as a player this time, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. He will be a guest instructor, and is part of the organization again, fulfilling his 10-year personal-service contract.
Pujols signed a 10-year personal-services contract with the team when he retired after the 2022 season. He will work with young players at the Angels’ academy in the Dominican Republic as well, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
This the second time that Pujols signed a 10-year contract with the Angels. He signed a 10-year $240 million contract with the team after the 2011 season.
He can fill every need the Angels want from him that he’d be interested in fulfilling. According to The Athletic‘s Sam Blum, Pujols will be assisting in camp duties and then eventually touch base with future prospects in the Dominican Republic.
Pujols be a presence in the locker room around Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani while also offering a direct line to the Angels front office for advice.
The Angels are entering a very crucial season for the future of their franchise. Ohtani, who emerged as a perennial AL MVP candidate after Pujols’s departure, is a free agent at season’s end.
Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels. Photo courtsey of Sports Illustrated
