Oli Marmol’s fourth season at the helm of the St. Louis Cardinals has been troubling. His team is four and a half games out of the playoff picture, and Busch Stadium has seen historic attendance lows.
And changes are coming in St. Louis. Chaim Bloom will take over for John Mozeliak as the Cardinals' president of baseball operations over the offseason.
It may not be likely, but could the Cardinals replace Marmol this winter with either Yadier Molina or Albert Pujols, who have both expressed interest in managing at the Major League level?
Josh Jacobs broke down that possibility on the “Dealin’ the Cards” podcast earlier this week.
Could the Cards replace Marmol with these franchise icons?
Here’s what Jacobs had to say:
“If Pujols is truly like, ‘Hey, I’ll manage for you next year,’ or Yadi—that temptation that’s sitting there, the allure of that, the excitement. Even for ownership, the appearance that they could bring more fans. I don’t think either guy would be for show. Like sure, it adds that element to it, but I think both guys have the chops to potentially be really good managers.”
Molina has already served as a guest coach in the Cardinals’ dugout this season, initially dressing in uniform for St. Louis’ series against the Chicago Cubs in early August. He was also in the dugout from Sept. 5-7 for the Cardinals’ series vs. the San Francisco Giants.
The 10-time All-Star will be Puerto Rico’s manager for the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic as well. Pujols is currently a manager in the Dominican Professional Baseball League.
Over his four seasons with the Cardinals, Marmol has accumulated a 319-314 (.504) overall record. He was hired before the 2022 season and led St. Louis to its last postseason appearance that year, as the Cardinals took the National League Central with a 93-69 record.
Marmol finished top ten in NL Manager of the Year voting in both 2022 and 2024.