MLB Legend Albert Pujols Talks World Series Pick, Cardinals, Manager Goals and More in B/R Interview

Albert Pujols' World Series pick is in trouble.

"They were playing the best baseball coming in for the last two or three weeks," the baseball legend told Bleacher Report ahead of the Division Series when picking the San Diego Padres to win the championship. "They remind me of my Cardinals in 2011, how we got into the Wild Card."

Believing the Padres would follow the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals' blueprint as a wild-card team to win the title made sense considering San Diego caught fire down the stretch and went 17-3 in its final 20 regular-season games to climb all the way to the No. 4 seed in the National League playoff picture.

That gave it home-field advantage in the Wild Card Series against the Chicago Cubs, and it took full advantage with two easy victories by a combined score of 12-1.

With Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Ty France and Jackson Merrill leading the offense and a shutdown bullpen featuring Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez to shorten games, the Padres seemed to have a championship formula.

"I think this is their year," Pujols said. "They started playing playoff baseball in the last three weeks to get into the postseason. Sometimes when you're hot like that, you just run through all the way. Machado and Tatis are swinging hot bats, and everybody in that lineup seems like they're inspired by Tatis."

However, the Milwaukee Brewers must have missed the memo, as they defeated the Padres in shocking fashion in each of the first two games of their Division Series.

It looked as if San Diego was going to take the lead in the ninth inning of Game 1 when France hit a towering fly ball to left field with a man on base that may have cleared the fence. Yet it ended up hitting the roof and falling harmlessly into Jackson Chourio's glove for an out.

Miller then gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth to lose Game 2 in another stunning development, which means the Padres are staring at a 2-0 hole and have to turn things around at home starting Tuesday.

Perhaps they can, as Pujols explained the "postseason is about who is riding hot."

He would know better than most as one of the greatest players in baseball history with an astounding resume that features two World Series titles, three league MVPs, a Rookie of the Year, six Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, a batting title, 11 All-Star nods and two seasons when he led the league in home runs.

His 703 career home runs rank fourth all-time behind only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth, while Aaron (2,297) is the only player in history with more RBI than Pujols' 2,218.

Despite all those incredible individual achievements, his 2006 and 2011 World Series titles with the Cardinals stand out the most.

"This is what it's all about, playing for the postseason and to win a championship," Pujols said. "Yeah, it's great to make the money and all that, but at the end you want to be able to win a ring for yourself, your family and the fans. … There's nothing better than being able to raise the championship trophy at the end of the season. That's what you play for."

While Pujols played 10 years with the Los Angeles Angels and part of one season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he is best known as a Cardinals legend with those two championships. All three of his MVPs, 469 of his home runs and 10 of his 11 All-Star nods also came with St. Louis.

He is all over the Cardinals' all-time leaderboard at second in home runs, second in RBI, seventh in batting average, fifth in on-base percentage, second in slugging percentage, sixth in games played, third in runs scored and fourth in hits, so it comes as no surprise he was inducted into the franchise's Hall of Fame alongside former teammate Yadier Molina in September.

"It was really an honor, especially to be going in with one of my brothers, Yadier Molina," Pujols said. "I never played for numbers. I've been playing baseball since I was six or seven years old, and I've been so blessed to be able to play for such a long time and to have an amazing career. These are the rewards that you get when you're done playing.

" … When I put that jacket on a couple weeks ago for the celebration, I thought of Lou Brock, Stan Musial, Bruce Sutter and Mike Shannon. Those were the guys when I got to St. Louis. I always looked forward to Opening Day to see those guys and to spend time with them. And now, knowing that I'm part of that legacy with those legends who were there before me, it was a pretty special moment."

With Hall of Fame players like him leading the way, the Cardinals were one of the gold standards of the league with eight playoff appearances in his 12 seasons with the team.

However, they haven't made the playoffs since he retired following the 2022 campaign.

That is an eternity in St. Louis, although Pujols and many other Cardinals fans found hope in a young core outperforming low expectations for extended stretches of the 2026 season as they look ahead toward the future with JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker and others.

"I love what the young players were able to do this year," he said. "There were no expectations, I think Oli Marmol did an unbelievable job of letting those young players play the game and play loose.

"I think they're going to be good for years to come with a really good core. Jordan Walker, Joshua Báez and JJ Wetherholt, I think they have that core, and if they add some pitching, they're going to be good not just for next year, but many years ahead."

Pujols is doing far more than just cheering on the Cardinals in retirement.

He recently partnered with Cologuard for their "Mind Your Behind" campaign in an effort to encourage screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) with the company's prescription-based, at-home test for adults who are 45 and older and at average risk.

The Cologuard Plus test detects 95 percent of colon cancers—the nation's No. 2 cancer-related killer—which is notable since 60 million people remain unscreened or are outdated when it comes to screening.

"I was excited when they reached out to me," Pujols said. "Especially when we talk about an issue like this with colon cancer. When you look at the number, 60 million people, on the screen, it's pretty crazy. To raise the awareness surrounding this is really important to me. I'm excited to be a part of it.

"To me, when I'm looking at those numbers and there's not much talk about it, that's what drove me into this campaign."

Leading by example is nothing new for Pujols, who began a managerial career following his playing days.

He started managing in the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM) during the 2024-25 winter season and led the Leones del Escogido to the league title and the Caribbean Series crown. From there, he managed the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and led the team to the semifinals before a loss to the United States.

And now he has his eyes on a major league role.

"I was able to explore that and was able to be the manager at the World Baseball Classic," Pujols said. "We didn't accomplish our goal, which was winning it, but I think 5-1 wasn't too bad. And we lost against one of the best teams in the tournament in the U.S. So now I'm just waiting to see if there's an opportunity to be with one of the teams. I would take that role and do my best to win a championship for that city."

Now it is up to a team to make the call.