LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols agreed to a contract for the remainder of the season before Saturday night’s 7-0 win over Miami, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
Pujols, 41, was abruptly designated for assignment by the Angels last week and officially released Thursday after clearing waivers. The first baseman batted .198 with a .622 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and five home runs in 92 plate appearances this season. He was seven for his last 43 before his release.
The Angels remain responsible for his $30-million salary in the final year of his 10-year, $240-million contract. The Dodgers will pay a prorated share of the $570,500 league minimum. That will be offset from what the Angels owe him. The deal is expected to become official Monday.
“I knew he would get an opportunity somewhere,” Angels center fielder Mike Trout said. “Obviously, good friends with him. I’m happy for him.”
The Dodgers initially didn’t entertain the thought of adding Pujols, but their thin depth took another significant blow last week when Edwin Rios, a slugger the team hoped would supply power off the bench, was lost for the season because of a partially torn labrum in his shoulder after going four for 51 at the plate. Unheralded rookies, meanwhile, weren’t producing when given opportunities, pushing the club to consider Pujols.
The Dodgers’ pursuit of depth continued Saturday evening when they announced they acquired infielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named or cash. Rios was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster.
Tsutsugo is a left-handed hitter who has split time between third base, first base and left field since coming from Japan on a two-year, $12-million deal before last season. He hit .187 with a .292 on-base percentage and .336 slugging percentage in 272 plate appearances and was designated for assignment Tuesday.
Tsutsugo is the latest in the Dodgers’ bevy of minor additions made this month to improve their depth in the upper minors. Since May 1, they’ve signed veteran right-handers Kevin Quackenbush and Nate Jones to minor-league deals, and claimed right-hander Phil Bickford and infielder Travis Blankenhorn off waivers.
Unlike those newcomers, Pujols will join the major-league roster immediately. He started 571 games in nine-plus seasons with the Angels, primarily as the designated hitter, but that won’t be an option most days for the Dodgers, who had sought an additional right-handed bat to balance their position player pool since the offseason. Pujols gives them one who happens to be headed to Cooperstown as soon as he’s eligible.
Pujols saw his playing time in Anaheim decline for the first time last year. He still made 22 starts with the Angels this season, 20 of them at first base. He was pushed out soon after the club decided to make Jared Walsh the full-time first baseman and use Shohei Ohtani as the designated hitter, relegating Pujols to the bench.
“I would imagine being close to home would have some benefit there,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said about Pujols joining the team up the road. “I don’t know exactly what the conversations were like, but I do wish him well. His family is right there, so it makes sense. If you get that opportunity closer to home, take it.”
Despite his production plummeting, advanced statistics such as expected slugging percentage and batting average on balls in play suggest Pujols should’ve had better results this season.
Additionally, he was a potent threat against left-handers in a small sample size, posting an .878 OPS with three home runs in 28 plate appearances. The Dodgers, meanwhile, have scuffled versus left-handers. The club entered Saturday ranked 23rd in the majors in batting average (.217) and 21st in OPS (.663). Their 11 home runs off left-handers ranked 20th.
“I’m not concerned,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who declined to comment on the signing because it wasn’t official yet. “But I do think that we’re always trying to get better as a ball club and our guys will do that. They’re always kind of kicking tires.”
Pujols is expected to make the occasional start at first base against left-handers, but mostly will be used as a pinch-hitter. It’s a role similar to the one the Dodgers assigned David Freese after acquiring him at the waiver trade deadline in 2018, but with fewer starts. When Pujols does start, the Dodgers can move Max Muncy to second base, pushing Gavin Lux, a left-handed hitter, to the bench.
Ultimately, Pujols bolsters the Dodgers’ depth, which has withered since the end of last season because of free-agent departures and injuries. Then there’s Pujols’ standing as one of the most accomplished players in history, a resume that will garner respect in the clubhouse.
He hasn’t been a league average hitter since 2016, but Pujols ranks fifth all time with 667 home runs and 13th with 3,253 hits. He’s a three-time National League most valuable player, a 10-time All-Star and will join Clayton Kershaw as two surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers on the roster. Once his signing is official, he’ll again become the oldest active player in the majors and the fourth former MVP on the Dodgers.
“When you sort of surround your clubhouse with guys like that and that have a proven track record, that’s a recipe that’s shown that works,” Roberts said. “Guys follow.”
(Staff writer Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this report.)
