Pujols, Dodgers union can be a dream, or ...

On Monday night, Albert Pujols appeared in uniform for the first time as a member of the Dodgers. The uniform itself didn’t look strange with him wearing it, but there’s no question that the “55” jersey number sure did. Pujols instantly becomes the first future Hall of Famer ever to wear No. 55, no offense to Orel Hershiser, Skip Schumaker, Tim Lincecum and Russell Martin.

In his first game, Pujols went 1-for-4 with an RBI single, but the Dodgers’ signing of him will not be judged by one game. It will be judged, ultimately, by how this ends. As surprising as the addition of Pujols was, there was a certain logic to it: The team needs any lineup help it can get right now. But eventually those missing bats are going to return. Where does Pujols go then?

That’s the question: How does this end? Here are seven possibilities, ranging from worst-case for Pujols’ legacy to best-case.

1) Pujols just doesn’t have it and he doesn’t last the season with the Dodgers.

This one hurts to even type. But it’s certainly possible. The start to Pujols’ season has been the worst of his entire career (OPS+ of 71), and, well, he’s not getting any younger. It is also worth remembering that there weren’t that many suitors after the Angels released him. If Pujols doesn’t hit in this likely temporary period where there are more at-bats available for him, it will be difficult for the Dodgers to keep him around when everyone returns. What if they cut him, like the Angels did, and that’s how it all ends? Just an inner-circle Hall of Famer, cut twice in the same season, with no one swooping in to let him say goodbye. I’m too depressed now to go any further in this paragraph.

2) Pujols can’t stay healthy.

For a guy in his 40s, Pujols has one undeniable attribute: He doesn’t get hurt very often. (Fun fact: Mike Trout has played only 16 more games for the Angels since 2017 than Pujols has.) That may have actually hurt the Angels over the last half-decade more than it helped them, but it’s true: Pujols is durable for an old guy. But he is still an old guy (he turned 41 in January). He’s one muscle strain at first base from missing an extended period of time, which, as we’ve pointed out, might be the only period of time he has left to make an impression.

3) Pujols struggles, still hangs around long enough to finish the season but … doesn’t make the postseason roster.

Part of the argument for Pujols staying on the Dodgers’ roster all year is that his postseason experience -- he has played 77 postseason games in his career, though only three in the past 10 years -- will be invaluable. But what if the Dodgers can’t justify a spot for him on the postseason roster? It’s not hard to imagine, is it? With everyone back, there will be a squeeze, and keeping a right-handed hitter with limited defensive value and minimal versatility could be more than the Dodgers are willing to take on.

4) Pujols does fine while he’s needed, but once everyone returns, he’s booted out of the lineup and we have another Angels situation.

Cody Bellinger will be back soon, and eventually so will Corey Seager and AJ Pollock and Zach McKinstry. Where, exactly, is Pujols going to fit in when those guys return? The answer is pretty clearly “nowhere,” and he won’t have the goodwill from fans to continue taking up a roster spot in Los Angeles the way he would have in St. Louis (or even Anaheim, really). And that could be immaterial anyway: If Pujols doesn’t have a starting spot, does he even want to stick around? Imagine if in two months we’re going through another exit from a team once he isn't playing every day. We might be.

Note: There is a needle Pujols can thread here. Of the players listed above, only Pollock is a right-handed hitter. And Pujols can still hit lefties! In fact, he has an .878 OPS against southpaws this year (and a .506 mark against righties). There is a world in which he can stick around as a lefty masher in this lefty-heavy lineup, assuming he’s OK being strictly a platoon player/pinch-hitter. He did say in his opening press conference on Monday that he was open to a reserve role, but it's possible that could change.

5) Pujols struggles and the Dodgers, now with everyone healthy, let him go, and he signs with St. Louis for one final goodbye.

This is your feel-good story for Cardinals fans, Pujols finally running out of options and signing with the Cardinals to wear that "PUJOLS 5" Cardinals jersey one more time. The problem here is that it requires Pujols to play so poorly that the Dodgers can’t keep him around … never mind the bank shot of the Cardinals (who are also fighting for a playoff spot) having a place for him anyway. It’d be a great story for Pujols to finish his career in a Cardinals uniform. But if it came to this … it’s tough to see the Cardinals taking him on as anything other than a feel-good story. It sure would be a feel-good story, though.

6) Pujols holds down the fort until everyone gets healthy, then settles into a pinch-hitting role, where he gives us one more lasting October memory.

This is the “Pujols makes the postseason roster so he can have one final amazing moment” idea, followed by him actually having that moment. Heck, maybe it could even be at Busch Stadium against the Cardinals in the playoffs! Either way, an indelible October moment for Pujols would be glorious. And it might just win him a third World Series ring.

7) Pujols is the old Pujols again.

Well, maybe not, like, vintage 2006 Pujols. But in August 2019, Pujols put up a .302/.375/.442 slash line. If he does that for the Dodgers, they’ll never get him out of the lineup. Or how about July 2018’s .306/.342/.583? All it takes is one hot stretch where he looks like the old Pujols, where he reminds us of all those old memories and gives us some new ones along the way. This is the dream: Prime Albert, one last time. It’s probably asking too much. But we can dream, can’t we?