Albert Pujols joining MLB front office as Special Assistant to the Commissioner

MLB legend Albert Pujols retired following the 2022 season. He didn’t stay away from the game long, though, joining MLB’s front office as a Special Assistant to the Commissioner, according to Front Office Sports.

In this new role, Pujols is going to act as an advisor on player relations and other topics. That’s huge, given the tense relationship that many players have with the league following the lockout ahead of the 2022 baseball season.

Among the other topics that Albert Pujols will advise the league about are issues relating to the Dominican Republic. That’s Pujols’ home country and produces plenty of MLB talent with frequency. That includes superstar players Juan Soto and Rafael Devers.

Pujols started his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he became one of the best players in all of baseball. He spent a decade there, winning the World Series twice, before signing a 10-year $54 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. He wasn’t quite able to maintain his dominant play there but continued as one of the game’s best power hitters.

In 2022, he returned to the St. Louis Cardinals in what was expected to be his final season. He was 21 home runs away from 700 but hadn’t hit that many in a season since 2019. It seemed like a stretch until he caught on fire and ended the season with 24 home runs. That was good for 703 for his career.

Along with that, Albert Pujols has 3,384 career hits and a career WAR of 101.5. He is almost assuredly going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Miguel Cabrera received a unique gift from the Nationals

After Albert Pujols got an emotional send-off in 2022, Miguel Cabrera is getting his own special send-off in 2023, with his retirement coming following this season.

Like Pujols, Cabrera is going to end up in the Hall of Fame. Unlike Pujols, he isn’t chasing any major milestones. Instead, he’s just playing out his contract. Still, teams want to honor him and many are doing that by giving him gifts.

The Washington Nationals are among those teams, who jokingly gifted Miguel Cabrera a new rocking chair for his retirement.

A rocking chair fit for a king. pic.twitter.com/0CsvQeau9y

— Cut4 (@Cut4) May 20, 2023

Cabrera laughed along and tried out the chair while sitting at home plate in Washington. For Miggy, it’s a throne to go with his triple crown.

Unfortunately, Cabrera isn’t getting the magical ending that Pujols got. He’s clearly lost a step. However, it’s great to see teams honor a legendary player.