Dodgers were somehow perfect landing spot for Albert Pujols

The Los Angeles Dodgers sent shockwaves around MLB when they inked a deal with veteran slugger Albert Pujols after he cleared waivers last week.

The move was initially questioned by Dodgers fans, and understandably so. After all, what role could this championship-ready roster (that already had depth at every position) possibly have for an aging vet in the twilight of his career?

Well, if the early signs have been any indication, this signing was a stroke of genius from president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers’ front office.

In a game that featured just five runs of total offense, Pujols slugged a two-run homer in the  Dodgers’ 3-2 win over Arizona on Thursday. The victory completed the sweep of the Diamondbacks and means Los Angeles has won eight of nine after a sluggish start.

We’re obviously not giving Pujols all of the credit for this stretch, as he only just joined the team before the four-game set against Arizona.

However, the more we see the way the Dodgers are utilizing him, the more they look like the perfect landing spot for him.

The Dodgers were the perfect landing spot for Albert Pujols. Who knew?

Though Pujols isn’t an every day player at this stage of his career, it’s virtually impossible to dismiss the notion that he looks more comfortable at the plate. He might only have 12 plate appearances, but it speaks volumes he’s slashing .273/.333/.545 with four RBI in four games.

For context, Pujols was hitting .198/.250/.372 with five home runs and 12 RBI across 24 games with the Angels before he was unceremoniously released. Speaking of the Angels, they did an  absolutely terrible job surrounding Pujols with elite talent.

With Mike Trout sidelined for the next two months with a right calf strain, Anthony Rendon (who’s off to a slow start) and Shohei Ohtani (when he plays) are really the the two only players in the Angels’ lineup who opposing hurlers have to pitch around.

That’s a recipe for disaster for any 41-year-old who’s lost a few miles per hour off his bat speed in recent years. Luckily for Pujols, being a part of the Dodgers’ loaded lineup means he’ll see more pitches to hit and we only needed four games for that theory to come to fruition.

Nobody’s saying that Pujols is suddenly going to revert back to the all-world slugger he was for the better part of 17 years. However, the early signs prove he can be a role player who’s capable of filling in for injured starters and willing to mentor the young players on an actual winning team.

If that doesn’t make the Dodgers the perfect landing spot for him, then what does?

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