MLB Free Agents 2012: Who Could Steal Albert Pujols from the Miami Marlins?

The Miami Marlins are looking to make a big splash this offseason by acquiring not only Jose Reyes but Albert Pujols as well.

Yes, you heard that right—the Marlins. The team that has tried to get by on a minimum total salary for years finally wants to be big players. Who do they think they are? 

It remains to be seen if the Marlins will make as big of a splash as they intend to, considering as of now they have only made offers. Those offers though could create one scary team, and many MLB executives are likely still in shock that the Marlins made an offer to not just one star, but two.

Will the Marlins get both these guys, or will they go elsewhere? Reyes looks like a lock, but these five teams may come in and try to swoop King Albert's services from right under the Marlins' feet.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs already made one big move this offseason by acquiring the rights to now-president Theo Epstein. By making the move for Epstein, the Cubs are obviously thinking big, and they may want to make bigger headlines this winter by signing division rival big hitter Albert Pujols from the St. Louis Cardinals.

It isn't clear what direction the Cubs' brass may be looking to take this offseason, but they certainly could improve their ailing ball club by adding a guy like Pujols. Age may be a concern though for a club that already has stacked up the contracts on players who are ready to turnover.

The Cubs are still in the process of finding a manager, so they have yet to make any moves on the player side of things. Once they sign their manager, it will be clearer what direction this club is planning to head in.

Will they take a stab at Pujols? Perhaps. We will just have to see.

One thing is for sure, Pujols would help the Cubs in the short-run.

San Francisco Giants

One can never eliminate the San Francisco Giants and their desire to improve. With Aubrey Huff recently signed to an extension, would the Giants be willing to move him for Albert Pujols, or would Pujols be willing to move back into the outfield?

Nothing is certain, as this is just speculation. It would be interesting though if the Giants were interested and Pujols would be willing to move back into the outfield. In a lineup with Pablo Sandoval, the Giants would easily become the most dangerous team in the NL West.

If the Giants feel that Pujols would be a better fit than an aging Huff who had a statistically down year, they may try and move him in favor of Pujols. It is hard to imagine the Giants moving Huff though, considering he was one of the key pieces and a fan favorite during the Giants' World Series run.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

While the Los Angeles Angels' designated hitter Bobby Abreu did fulfill his vesting option for 2012, the club may look to move him or buy him out for the 2012 season. In favor of Abreu, the Angels could look to add Albert Pujols as their new DH and a guy who can fill the role of first base or the outfield when needed.

With Pujols' age, he will eventually be ideal for the DH role. Right away, the Angels would likely use Pujols at first base since current rookie first baseman Mark Trumbo is arbitration-eligible, and it will be questionable if they want to keep him at first or in the DH role. He did hit 29 home runs in 2011, but he also only batted a poor .254 average. If he can keep up those power numbers while increasing his batting average, who knows how far he could go.

There is definitely a lot of upside to Trumbo, so perhaps a pairing of him and Pujols could be a dangerous duo for years to come. Either man could play DH or first for the Angels for years to come.

New York Yankees

When you talk about big-time free agents, you just cannot eliminate the New York Yankees. While the Yankees do not pose a need for Albert Pujols, they could swoop in and steal him just because they can.

Sure, they currently stand at $206 million for this upcoming season, but if they can move a guy like A.J. Burnett, they will be freeing up nearly $17 million. That money could easily make them comfortable in putting it toward Pujols.

A lineup of Pujols, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira is just frightening. How could that team not win? With the Yankees' current pitching squad led by ace CC Sabathia, they would be the most all-around dominant team in the league.

It hasn't really been said what the Yankees' position is on Pujols or any big-time free agent, but if they put their hat in this game, it can get very scary for any other team bidding for Pujols. If the Yankees do get him, it will be even scarier for any team that has to face the Yankees in 2012.

St. Louis Cardinals

You can't eliminate the place that Albert Pujols has called home the last 11 years.

The St. Louis Cardinals still stand in the best position to sign their main man. The Miami Marlins may seem like a hot destination with a lot of upside, but the Cardinals are still the current champs, and it will be hard for Pujols to walk away from that situation.

It really depends on how deep both the Cardinals' and Marlins' pockets will go. If it comes down to these two teams, it will definitely become a full-out bidding war, and the Cardinals can only hope that Pujols will side with what he has been familiar with his entire baseball career.

The Marlins are going to make the Pujols situation more interesting, and we will just have to see where the most dominant hitter in the league finally ends up.