Albert Pujols’ personal-services contract: What it means for Angels and Cardinals

Albert Pujols looks at the scoreboard after being replaced by a pinch runner during a wild-card playoff game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Oct. 8.

(Jeff Roberson / Associated Press)

Exclusivity is the purpose of personal-service deals. “You want to be able to say, for lack of better terms, ‘You’re mine, you can’t do any work for any other competitor,’ ” Scherwin said. But amendments can always be made as long as both sides agree to any changes.

The biggest remaining question is whether Pujols — who will hit the Hall of Fame ballot in five years — will he be allowed to participate in events or do work for the Cardinals, the team he spent most of his career with.

Asked if the Cardinals would, in general, be interested in working with Pujols in the future, a team spokesperson said: “I’m sure he will always be welcome. The Cardinals have long maintained a strong and rich tradition with their alumni.”

The one bit of good news for Cardinals fans is that Pujols can still go into the Hall of Fame as a Cardinal.

“The Hall of Fame provides guidance to each new inductee as to which logo, if any, may be represented on the cap of his plaque,” said Jon Shestakofsky, vice president of communications and education at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “All teams are listed in the text of the plaque, but the logo corresponds to where the player’s body of work was most dominant during their career.

“The Hall of Fame always has the final say in this process, and a personal services contract would not impact this decision.”