They say that time heals all wounds.  There is a lingering wound that time has yet to heal, and thousands of Chicagoans have it.  This wound is a side effect of being a Cubs fan.  The Cubs haven’t won a world series in how many years? 102? 103? I stopped keeping count after they hit the milestone that spells out “worst franchise” in so many ways.

To cope with this, so many Cubs fans have become familiar with the saying, “There’s always next year,” and this year, it might actually pay off.  The best baseball player of the 21^st century, Albert Pujols, might be a free agent in the upcoming offseason, and this might spell a long-awaited championship for the North-Siders. He has verbally stated that he wants to be a Cardinal for life, but, St. Louis doesn’t seem so willing to pay him what he wants.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  Being a White Sox fan myself, I am hoping and praying that Pujols stays off the Cubs.  I want him to inflict punishment that extends the Cubs’ drought an extra eight or nine years until he retires. However, it would be dumb to overlook the impact Pujols could have on Chicago and the sports world if Cubs owner Tom Ricketts manages to bring him in.

As mom and dad call him, José Alberto Pujols Alcántara has already racked up three MVP awards, 408 dingers, and over 1000 RBI in his first ten MLB seasons.  And he’s not even in his prime yet.

A Cubs lineup that lacks a good hitter would become one of the best in the National League with the addition of Pujols.  Last season, Pujols hit 42 homers and knocked in 118 runs, which is better than any Cubs player did last year.  The Cubs’ leader for home runs had 25, while the RBI leader had 83.  In addition to that, Pujols beat every Cubs player in batting average, on base percentage, walks, and hits, which account for every major hitting statistic.  What Pujols would bring to the table for the Cubs is definitely worth the hefty price tag.

If the Cubs could bring in the most successful Albert in history, behind Einstein and the fat one, a skyrocket in sales for the Chicago Cubs would occur.  Just three days after the Chicago Bears acquired Jay Cutler, they sold 1,560 Cutler jerseys and earned about $133,300 in revenue from them.  Cutler’s jersey ended up being the bestselling jersey at the start of the 2009 NFL season.  He went on to throw 27 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions that season.  Just imagine the impact a good player would have on revenue if he were brought in to play. The Cubs could hit a goldmine if they manage to sign Albert Pujols at the end of the year.

It’s no surprise that a guy that attended Maple Woods Community College would go on to play baseball professionally at a Hall of Fame level.  Pujols could single-handedly get the Cubs’ PA system to play “Hey Chicago, whaddya say?  The Cubs are gonna win today,” an extra 20 times a season.  He would shake Cubs culture and become a Chicago icon.  That being said, the Cubs would still need a quality arm in the starting rotation, as well as in the bullpen.  If Tyler Colvin develops, the Cubs would come even closer to winning World Series in the next few years.  All that would stand in the way is the Philadelphia Phillies and arguably their best rotation in MLB history.  Pujols would help greatly in taking that rotation down a notch.  The one thing Cubs fans can’t forget is that dreaded side-effect.  Choking.