Cardinals manager Oli Marmol might pay the price if the Cardinals continue to struggle, but one positive is they’d have three interesting replacement candidates, including two legends.
The most obvious candidate is 2023 Manager of the Year Skip Schumaker, the ex-Cardinals sparkplug who got the third biggest cheer Opening Day in St. Louis (behind Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee) and looks like a short-timer in Miami after the team agreed to drop his 2025 club option.
They could wait for Schumaker, who’ll be free at year’s end. But might they also consider legendary catcher Yadier Molina or all-time great Albert Pujols? Molina is said interested in managing, provided he gets a thumbs-up from family, and Pujols also is interested.
Molina managed Team Puerto Rico in the 2023 WBC and Navegentes del Magallanes in Venezuela.
Pujols will manage Leones del Escogido in the D.R. this winter.
Teams are starting to gauge Nolan Arenado’s seeming slippage in case he becomes available.
“A little worrisome,” one rival says.
He’d probably play better for a winner, but with $74 million and three years to go, the Cardinals can’t expect a haul for him.
Juan Soto carried the Yankees the first five weeks, and Aaron Judge is doing it since. They are as dynamic a combo as envisioned.
Nationals top prospect James Wood, who came in their Soto trade, should be up soon.
