The St. Louis Cardinals made the easiest decision they’ll have in team history by exercising their club option on Albert Pujols for the 2011 season.
The three-time National League MVP batted .312 this season with 42 home runs and 118 RBI’s. He also had 39 doubles and scored 115 runs, the ninth time in his 10-year career he’s scored at least 100 runs in a season.
Pujols has played in 1,558 games since his rookie season with the Cardinals in 2001. Over that time he’s had 408 home runs, 1,230 RBI, 426 doubles, scored 1,186 runs and has a career batting average of .331.
By exercising the $16-million club option on Pujols’ contract, the Cardinals are now faced with having to resign him to a long-term deal for substantially more money, trade him or allow the best player in baseball to become a free agent at the end of next season.
