The likelihood that Albert Pujols, who has played his entire 10-year career in St. Louis, will be leaving the Cardinals following the 2011 is increasing daily.
If Pujols were to switch teams, the balance of power in the MLB would be significantly altered. Regardless of where Pujols lands (assuming he leaves St. Louis), the ramifications will be tremendous.
There is no doubt that Pujols changing teams would surpass nearly every transaction of the decade in terms of significance.
However, where would Pujols’ move rank among all team changes of the decade? Would he affect the power structure of the MLB more than Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez did?
In this article, I will identify the ten trades of the past decade that sparked the most attention. It is by no means guaranteed that Pujols will be leaving St. Louis and his potential suitors are not fully known; therefore, it is not possible to predict Pujols’ effect on the MLB well enough to rank him on this list.
Keep in mind that this article will be not be ranking the 10 most significant moves. For example, the Marlins/Red Sox deal which sent Hanley Ramirez to the Marlins and Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Red Sox will not make this list despite its significance.
Signings or trades in which the moving player was recognized as one of the best in the game will be.