Albert Pujols to the Chicago Cubs: How It'd Impact the Cubs-Cards Rivalry

We all know about the early-season struggles of St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols. His .245 April was overshadowed by the offensive explosion of right fielder Lance Berkman, who helped the Cardinals to a 16-11 record that month.

When the team needed him the most, however, Pujols was golden. His .355 average in September boosted the team to recover from an 8.5-game Wild Card deficit, with a 16-5 finish in the season's final 23 days.

The only thing Pujols failed to capture were a pair of personal achievements. His 1-for-5 performance in the season finale wasn't critical, thanks to Chris Carpenter's two-hit shutout, in an 8-0 victory over Houston. Pujols' evening did drop his average to .299, his first season below .300 in 11 years. He also finished with just 99 RBI, the first season ever that he didn't record triple digits in that category.

This came after he was batting .305 and had 98 RBI with seven games remaining on the schedule. Oh well.

Now that the Cardinals have squeaked into the playoffs, a lot of pressure has been relieved, both for the team and for Pujols, who is still the team's unquestioned leader.

Still, whenever St. Louis' season does end, the team must face the specter of a Pujols free agency. If the Cards cannot provide a competitive offer and lose the three-time National League MVP, it would mark a seminal moment in the history of the franchise.

Several teams appear to be clearing payroll for a run at a big-name free agent, positioning themselves for a LeBron-esque courtship this winter. One team that definitely fits that bill is St. Louis' long-time rival, the Chicago Cubs.

On the surface, the Cubbies looked like they were primed to make a hard play at Pujols even as far back as a year ago. They signed first baseman Carlos Pena to a one-year, $10 million deal, a somewhat odd signing for a team that didn't have a first-base prospect ready to take over in 2012.

More recently, Chicago's disappointing 71-91 season hasn't deterred new owner Tom Ricketts from being optimistic about the team's short-term future. He fired GM Jim Hendry mid-season with a plan to take the franchise in a different direction.

And it appears he's willing to open up the checkbook to make that happen—with a new general manager, probably a new field manager and, surely, many new players. However, he's fighting against history.

The Cubs have been one of the most bumbling franchises in American professional sports history. They haven't won the World Series since 1908—haven't even been to the World Series since 1945—and have won only one playoff series (2003) in 103 years.

This losing has been a direct result of numerous bad personnel decisions. Two moves in particular helped their regional rival Cardinals to prominence.

In 1964, Chicago traded outfielder Lou Brock to St. Louis for pitcher Ernie Broglio, who was coming off an 18-8 season as a starter with the Cards in 1963. He won a total of seven games for the Cubs in two and a half seasons before his career ended in 1966.

In 1980, the Cubs sent reliever Bruce Sutter to the Gateway City for first baseman Leon "Bull" Durham and Ken Reitz. Durham enjoyed some decent years, logging at least 20 homers in five of his seven years in the Windy City. He even helped the Cubs to the 1984 N.L. East title and the team's first playoff appearance in 39 years. Despite these accomplishments, he's best known for his critical error that helped the San Diego Padres rally from an 0-2 deficit in the '84 NLCS to oust the Cubs in heart-breaking fashion. Reitz lasted just 82 games in Chicago before he was released after hitting just .215.

Conversely, look at how the Cardinals benefited from the acquisitions.

Brock played 16 years in St. Louis, becoming one of the best base stealers in the history of the game. He hit .300 eight times and led the N.L. in steals eight times, including a then-record 118 swiped bags in 1974. His acquisition immediately boosted the team, as the Cardinals won the 1964 World Series. With Brock on the team, St. Louis also made the Fall Classic in 1967 and 1968.

Sutter used his split-finger fastball to become one of the most dominant closers in the National League. He led the Senior Circuit in three of his four years in St. Louis. He also played a huge role in leading the team to the 1982 World Series title.

Now, envision for a moment Pujols becoming the mayor of Wrigleyville. Could he wipe away the Brock and Sutter debacles in one fell swoop? It would certainly add a needed dimension to the Chicago-St. Louis rivalry, one of the oldest hate-hate relationships in baseball, but also one that's been lopsided to this point.

I mean, do you actually have a rivalry when one team is so dominant? The Cardinals have 10 world championships—most of any National League franchise—while the Cubs have two. In the last 50 years, St. Louis has had 35 winning seasons, while Chicago has enjoyed only 19.

More so, the Cardinals have been the gold standard of the National League, while the Cubs' blunders have provided cautionary tales. Could a fat check by Ricketts change the tide? Would Pujols actually sign a contract with a team with such a disappointing history?

To be optimistic, look what happened to the bumbling New Orleans Saints after they managed to convince Drew Brees to sign on the dotted line. That, coupled with the earlier arrival of innovative head coach Sean Payton, marked the turning point of an entire franchise and was instrumental in the Saints' Super Bowl run in 2009. Now, they are among the NFL's powerhouses.

The possibility certainly can't be dismissed. And if Pujols leaves St. Louis to go anywhere else, the luster of the Cardinals' franchise will take a tremendous hit. And if it's Chicago, maybe a bit of that playful hatred will shift over west of the Mississippi.