Albert Pujols: Does Tony La Russa's Retirement Mean That He Will Leave?

Immediately on the heels of the announcement that Tony La Russa is retiring came the question and a litany of proclamations in regards to what this means to the Albert Pujols free agency. Most of this speculation is worth the paper it's printed on, which on the internet is literally nothing. 

The fact of the matter is that only Pujols can say what it means, how much it means and whether it means anything at all. One thing we can say for certain though, is that his only tie to the St. Louis Cardinals and to the cities community go far beyond Tony La Russa. 

Yes, La Russa is the only manager he's ever known, and has been a tremendous mentor to him. Perhaps if La Russa were fired and going somewhere else, there might be some cause to speculate. However, the fact that he's retiring means that Pujols will be playing for a new manager, either in St. Louis or somewhere else. 

Therefore, there's no logical reason to expect that his decision would be affected by the retirement. Certainly he, as a person, will be affected, but that does not mean his decision will be. There was no acrimony in the departure. He wasn't forced out by the ownership. This was La Russa's decision entirely. 

Last year, there was some question as to whether the Cardinals would re-sign him. Pujols weighed in and the ownership gave La Russa a one year contract with a mutual option. La Russa didn't exercise his option. There was no indication the Cardinals didn't plan on exercising their's. 

Pujols has deep ties to both the team and the city beyond La Russa. His Pujols Family Foundation, which was started because of his adopted daughter, is based in St. Louis. It is arguable that his foundation is the most intricately tied athlete initiated charity foundation in the world to it's local community. It is the reason he has won awards like the Roberto Clemente Award and the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award. 

Beyond that, there are many of the players whom he has had long relationships with, such as Yadier Molina and Chris Carpenter, who he has been teammates with since 2004. Additionally, players like Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, signed at his request, have become quite close to him. 

Certainly, on a personal level, it is reasonable to expect that it will be a struggle for Pujols to see his mentor go. However, to assume that this translates into his own imminent departure is premature and shortsighted.  Unless and until he says otherwise, there should be no logical reason to expect that this will impact his decision in regards to free-agency.