Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera nearing the end,

Both aim to capture major goals before walking into sunset.

Two old baseball gods, long since surpassed by a younger generation of stars, are both aware that their days on the field are numbered. But the veterans, Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera, aren’t ready to leave just yet, no matter what you’ve heard. They have unfinished business.

For Pujols, there is the remote chance that he can become the fourth player to reach 700 home runs. For Cabrera, there is the far more realistic chance that he can be the seventh player — Pujols is one of the others — to reach the combination of 3,000 hits and 500 homers. With those goals in mind, and with a combined $60 million to earn this season regardless of how — or how much — they play, both players addressed their plans for 2021 recently. Each brushed off any talk about being done.

Two of the most accomplished players not only in this era but in any era, Pujols and Cabrera will leave an enormous void when they hang up their spikes. They already rank 1-2 on the active lists for hits, home runs, doubles, runs scored, runs batted in and total bases. They have, collectively, amassed three World Series titles, five Most Valuable Player awards and 21 All-star appearances. No one can accurately be described as a “future Hall of Famer” until they get in — see: Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds — but barring any unforeseen news developments, both Pujols and Cabrera should be elected easily on their first ballots.

First things first, though. Over the weekend, Pujols had to address an Instagram post by his wife, Deidre, that suggested 2021 would be his final season. He is entering the 10th and final year of a $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, he turned 41 in January and he was relegated to part-time duty last season, so it was not all that surprising to see a post that began, “Today is the first day of the last season of one of the most remarkable careers in sports!” Pujols’ wife spoke of him finishing “the last race,” mentioned the goal of reaching 700 home runs and added the hashtag #lastseason.

The tributes poured in, people contemplated the home run goal, and the totality of Pujols’ career and his Cooperstown credentials began the dissection typical of such an announcement. Then Deidre edited the post to clarify she meant the last season of his contract.

While brushing aside the conjecture and ignoring the strong phrasing of the original post, Albert Pujols addressed it over the weekend. He said he was sleeping when his wife’s original post went up and that when he does announce his retirement, it will not be on Instagram. He also questioned, with a bit of a laugh, the news outlets that treated the post as breaking news.

He added, “My mind is not even there. My mind is on staying focused, healthy and hopefully trying to help this ballclub win this year, and that’s it. If I feel at the end of the year that that’s it, I’ll announce it.”

Whenever Pujols and Cabrera — who turns 38 in April — choose to retire, the drop-off in the active leaders of some categories could be enormous.

Pujols enters the season with 3,236 hits; Cabrera, with 2,866, has a decent shot at 3,000. The only other hitters with 2,000 or more are Robinson Cano (2,624), who is suspended for the 2021 season; Nick Markakis (2,388), who is 36; and Yadier Molina (2,001), a 36-year-old catcher seemingly not long for the game.

In home runs, Pujols (662) and Cabrera (487) are comfortably ahead of Edwin Encarnacion (424), Nelson Cruz (417) and Braun (352). The top player who could be described as still in his prime is Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees, whose 312 career homers have him less than halfway to Pujols at age 31. How much Pujols and Cabrera can add to their totals, however, is in question.

Pujols is expected to split time with Jared Walsh at first base and Shohei Ohtani at designated hitter for the Angels in 2021. Despite Deidre Pujols’ hopeful talk of 700 homers, Albert enters the year with 662 and hit only six in 39 games last season.

Cabrera’s decline has also been steep, largely as a result of injuries, but his goals of 134 hits and 13 home runs are not that outlandish — provided he can stay on the field. He had 139 hits and 12 homers in 2019.

“I feel mentally strong,” Cabrera said of those personal goals. “I’m trying to go day by day and trying to play hard.”

AP 2020 Albert Pujols fended off speculation after his wife implied on social media that this would be his final season.

AP Miguel Cabrera has battled injuries but still expects to add to his career totals this season.