MLB Free Agents 2012: Carlos Beltran Is a Savior for the St. Louis Cardinals

Albert who? Not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you hear that the St. Louis Cardinals signed Carlos Beltran to a two-year deal.

But it's certainly a start.

The only way to truly erase the memory of Albert Pujols is to win a World Series without him, and signing Beltran might have been a step in that direction.

It'll be impossible to fill the void left by one of the greatest hitters of this era, but St. Louis is proving they're not going to sit around and sulk about it. Instead, they will hope Beltran can help fill in the hole, however slightly, that was left by Pujols' departure to Los Angeles.

Although the money aspect of the deal is not yet known, it'll definitely be less than what King Albert is getting.

In 2011, as a member of the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants, Beltran proved he can still swing the bat and stay healthy at the same time. He hit 22 home runs and drove in 84 runs in 142 games.

It was the most games he'd played in since 2008, when he played all but one game. Try not to take into consideration it was a contract year for him because that might just worry you.

Beltran will be 35 in April, so age, along with injury, is clearly a concern. But if Beltran is on the field, he will no doubt contribute at the plate.

This was a good pickup for St. Louis and was much needed. The risk is certainly worth the reward, and hopefully for St. Louis, Beltran's year in 2011 was not just the product of a contract year.