Albert Pujols is returning to St. Louis after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Cardinals, according to published reports.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which first reported the agreement late Sunday, said the contract with the 42-year-old slugger — who is 21 home runs shy of 700 for his career — was pending a physical.
The deal brings Pujols back to where he began his major league career, becoming one of the game’s most powerful and dangerous all-around hitters. The NL Rookie of the Year in 2001 spent his first 11 years in St. Louis, helping the Cardinals win the World Series in 2006 and 2011.