Pujols hasn't 'closed that door' to playing once Angels deal ends

Don't tell Albert Pujols he's finished.

Despite several years of declining production that's far from his incredible prime, the 40-year-old slugger doesn't think he's close to the end. There are two years left on Pujols' contract with the Los Angeles Angels, and when that's done, he could continue his career.

"I haven't closed that door," Pujols told ESPN's Alden Gonzalez in a Spanish-language interview. "I'm taking it day by day, year by year, but you haven't heard from my mouth that I'm going to retire next year, or that it's going to be my last year, or that I'm going to keep playing. I haven't said any of that. When that time comes, we'll see."

Pujols stamped his eventual ticket to Cooperstown by winning three National League MVPs during a remarkable 11-year run with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2001 to 2011.

He then signed a 10-year, $240-million contract with the Angels, but the nine-time All-Star has been declining steeply since then while battling a variety of injuries. Last year he smacked 23 homers, but Pujols slashed a meager .244/.305/.430 with a below-average 94 OPS+ across 131 games.

He'll earn $29 million in 2020 and $30 million during the final year of his contract. A 10-year, $10-million personal services contract with the Angels begins once his current deal expires, according to Cot's Contracts. However, it's not clear how that's affected if he continues to play.

Pujols is still chasing several career milestones, all of which could be in jeopardy if the 2020 season is shortened or canceled. He's 44 homers and 39 doubles shy of the 700 mark in both categories, and the veteran could also reach 6,000 total bases and 3,500 hits before the end of his contract.