Albert Pujols is going to play. He faced the media this weekend after his first spring workout and has said that his elbow is fine and there’s a good chance he’ll never need the dreaded Tommy John surgery. After going under the knife last October to repair and clean the bones in his elbow, the St. Louis slugger was happy to say that his elbow is responding well and he hopes he’ll be able to play a full season.

Pujols has also been asked about his current contract situation. His deal with St. Louis runs through 2010 with a club option for 2011, but he’s been harassed for years about whether the team is discussing an extension with him, and he’s all but said that he’s had enough of it. He’s been asked the same questions day-in and day-out for years, and he wants to dedicate his attention entirely to his team and to baseball for the upcoming season.

Pujols’ nine-year career in the Majors has been spent entirely with St. Louis. Primarily known as a power hitter, he’s never hit less than 32 home runs in a season. He’s hit 366 in his career, and has added 1,112 RBI on top of his .334 career batting average. He powered the Cards to a World Series win in 2006. He is a three-time NL MVP, NL Rookie of the Year winner in 2001, eight-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and even won a Gold Glove Award in 2006. This man has already done it all, and at 30 years of age, he’s only going to get better.

As one of the most prolific hitters in baseball, Pujols faces the same questions from the media every time he arrives in a new city. He is certainly entitled to say enough is enough, at least until there’s something new to report. Pujols doesn’t talk contract during the regular season, and it just may be the case that there’ll be no new news until next year, yet he’s still asked. Leave the guy alone. Let him hit his homers. Let him collect what he’s earned. Whatever contract lies in his future will come, and regardless of its worth, he’ll have earned every penny.