So if Pujols contract turns in to an absolute lemon, do the Angels have any recourse at all?
There have been rare occassions where players have indeed retired mid contract (and not been paid the remainder), but this is mostly a consequence of dignity and shame and isn't something the Angels can necessarily rely on.
Regardless, I'm hoping Pujols turns it around significantly. While it's certainly plausible that he's older than he says he is, this would represent an extremely steep decline in performance. Most players don't go MVP-MVP-MVP-Top Ten MVP-Terrible. Even age doesn't account for statistical drop offs this big (or close to this big).