The St. Louis Cardinals have played slightly better baseball as of late but are still highly unlikely to reach the postseason.
If they miss the playoffs for a second straight year, they could potentially look to replace their manager, Oli Marmol, who led them to a 93-win season in 2022 before they sunk to 71-91 last year.
Former Cardinals superstar Albert Pujols is set to manage in the Dominican Winter League, and Zach Rotman of FanSided believes he could be a candidate to replace Marmol should the team make a change.
"Pujols is retired now, but he's still active in the baseball world. He just accepted a job to manage in the Dominican Winter League for Leones del Escogido," Rotman wrote. "It isn't a job in the majors, but it's something that John Mozeliak should be focusing on."
Having been a Cardinals legend, Pujols would be an interesting choice to become the team's next manager. He would instantly have the respect of the clubhouse and is somebody that will have some managerial experience under his belt.
However, that isn't quite the same as Major League managing, and the Cardinals might be best served looking at somebody who has managed in the Majors before.
Former Cardinal and current Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, who was a teammate of Pujols from 2005-11, will likely leave his position at the helm of the Marlins. He earned National League Manager of the Year honors last season.
St. Louis could also look at two-time World Series champion Terry Francona, who has taken this season off to focus on his health. But it isn't like Pujols has no managerial experience.
He'll have a chance to dip his toe in the water this winter and gain some experience, and much of the Cardinals fanbase would be delighted to have him come back to manage the team.
Still, the Cardinals might ultimately be best served looking elsewhere. We'll see if they consider Pujols in the event that Marmol is let go.
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