The St. Louis Cardinals are toward the bottom of the MLB rankings in mid-May, stoking speculation that the team will sell at the trade deadline. It has also generated serious concerns regarding manager Oliver Marmol’s future in St. Louis.
Marmol, 37, is in his third full season with St. Louis. After serving as the club’s bench coach, he was elevated to manager in 2022, becoming Major League Baseball’s youngest skipper. The early results were excellent for St. Louis.
The Cardinals went 93-69 in their first season under Marol, but a solid regular season was overshadowed by a dismal NL Wild Card appearance. Following a good first season under Marmol, the Cardinals finished 71-91 in 2023, the club’s first losing season since 2007.
The Cardinals are weaker this year (.419 winning percentage) than they were previous season (.435). As a result, some have questioned if Marmol will stay.
In discussing a prospective Cardinals managerial vacancy, Jon Heyman of the New York Post said that team legends Albert Pujols or Yadier Molina could be viable candidates to succeed Marmol in St. Louis next season.
Importantly, there appears to be mutual interest if this is the case. Molina and Pujols are both allegedly interested in continuing active in baseball after retirement, with both Cardinals legends aspiring to become managers.
Given their lack of managerial experience, Pujols and Molina would face a difficult climb to the top job in St. Louis. However, both have deep links to the organization, and Molina has long been considered a future MLB manager. If Skip Schumaker is not hired by St. Louis, Pujols and Molina may be considered.
