If the Cardinals continue to struggle, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol may pay the price, but one good thing is that he has three interesting candidates to replace him, including two legends.
The most obvious candidate is 2023 Manager of the Year Skip Shoemaker. He’s a former Cardinals igniter who got the third loudest cheer in the season opener in St. Louis (behind Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee) and appears to be a short-timer in Miami after the team. He agreed to waive his club option for 2025.
They could also wait for Shoemaker to become a free agent at the end of the year. But could they also consider legendary catcher Yadier Molina or all-time great Albert Pujols? Molina is said to be interested in directing if there is buy-in from his family, and Pujols is also interested.
Molina managed Team Puerto Rico and Venezuela’s Navegentes del Magallanes in the 2023 WBC.
Coach Pujols will manage Leones del Escogido in the DR this winter.
Teams are starting to evaluate Nolan Arenado’s apparent slide in case he becomes available.
“I’m a little worried,” says one rival.
He’ll probably play better if he wins, but at $74 million and with three years left, the Cardinals can’t count on him.
Juan Soto led the Yankees for the first five weeks, and Aaron Judge has been in charge ever since. It’s a dynamic combo as you can imagine.
James Wood, the Nationals’ top prospect who was acquired in the Soto trade, should be back soon.
