In the end, Albert Pujols’s Angels career ended not with a retirement tour or a standing ovation, but with a DFA.
The Angels released the future Hall of Famer on Thursday, bringing an unceremonious end to Pujols’s tenure with the team fewer than five months before the expiration of his 10-year contract. In a statement, team owner Arte Moreno said the organization was “honored that he has worn an Angels jersey” and called Pujols an “inspiration to athletes everywhere.”
Though we have yet to hear from Pujols since the decision was made, his release reportedly has to do with the issue of playing time.