"Here's one pricey free agent the Miami Marlins won't sign: Albert Pujols.
The ever-elusive "mystery team" landed this winter's most prized catch, and its identity? The Los Angeles Angels. According to ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, Pujols agreed to a 10-year, $250 million contract with the Angels on Thursday.
As would have been the case with the Marlins, for whom Gaby Sanchez was already a more than adequate first baseman, fantasy owners will react with the same question regarding Pujols' arrival in L.A.: What happens to the Angels' already present first basemen, Mark Trumbo and, if he's healthy, Kendrys Morales?
The obvious answer is that one -- if not both -- might be traded, but it could also signal one of two things: One, that Morales' ankle isn't healing as quickly as the Angels had hoped; considering he hasn't appeared in a game since initially suffering the injury May 29, 2010, that's entirely possible. Two, the Angels already regard Pujols as having reached the "designated hitter" stage of his career; the fact that Trumbo's defensive metrics in 2011 trumped Pujols' -- Trumbo's Ultimate Zone Rating was 5.7, per FanGraphs, while Pujols' was 2.4 -- also supports that theory.
A third, albeit remote, possibility is that Trumbo could shift to the outfield, as he made 10 appearances in right field for Double-A Arkansas in 2009, 23 games at the corner outfield spots for Triple-A Salt Lake in 2010, and 11 at the corners for the Angels last season. The bottom line is that, should the Angels keep everyone and have a healthy Morales from the start, there will be fewer plate appearances to go around for Trumbo, Morales, Bobby Abreu, and perhaps Peter Bourjos, Mike Trout, Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells, as well.
Trumbo has plenty to lose. Though his power remained constant his entire rookie season, he struggled with plate discipline, and therefore batting average, deeper in the year. He walked in only 3.1 percent of his plate appearances and managed a ghastly .278 on-base percentage after Aug. 1, so it's possible opposing pitchers might exploit that during his sophomore year. There's a very real chance he might not even finish among the top 20 fantasy first basemen, so approach with caution."
