This may not matter much. Pujols could end up with 20 games at third, anyway, and Polanco will probably play just as much as he would have if Pujols was playing third. But I would suggest that when you hear these things about a player’s defensive abilities, look at what the team does.
Pujols was reportedly not a great third baseman. La Russa can talk about his gold glove future, but does it make sense that the team would allow a superior third baseman to switch with an inferior left fielder?
This spring we’ve also seen the unraveling of Ben Petrick, who last year was supposedly a superior defensive catcher. Next up: Is Alfonso Soriano really a help defensively at 2B? And is Rafael Furcal doing the job at SS?