Pujols felt jilted by St. Louis: They didn't want 'me to be a longtime Cardinal'

Los Angeles Angels slugger and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols had some candid remarks about the way the St. Louis Cardinals treated him prior to his career-altering free agency.

"I felt that the approach that they took wasn't showing me that they wanted me to be a longtime Cardinal," Pujols said in a yet-to-air interview on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger," according to ESPN.

Following the 2011 campaign - a season in which Pujols finished in the top five of NL MVP voting for the 10th time in his career - "The Machine" signed a 10-year, $240-million contract to join the Angels. Now, in the eighth year of the pact, Pujols will play his first game at Busch Stadium since his departure.

"I believe I made the right decision," the 10-time All-Star and three-time MVP added, though Pujols admitted the decision to leave St. Louis was a difficult one.

"I don't want to lie to you, it was (hard). Half of your life pretty much you're in that city. The fans. Your dream is to try to only finish in one uniform and be the Derek Jeter. But you know what, man? This game has changed."

Since joining the Angels, the 39-year-old has authored an uninspiring .260/.316/.452 slash line over 997 games. That being said, the legendary slugger collected the 600th home run of his career - a plateau only eight other players in history have reached - while playing for Los Angeles.

The three-game weekend series against the Cardinals gets underway on June 21, and Pujols acknowledged it might be a difficult weekend emotionally, admitting he's "pretty sure there's going to be some tears."