2 Oli Marmol replacements who would make Cardinals worse, 1 who would help

The St. Louis Cardinals front office -- for reasons I still do not quite understand -- decided to extend manager Oli Marmol before the start of the season. The claim by executive John Mozeliak was that they did not want Marmol to worry about his job all season long. That would be ideal for a proven skipper, but Marmol is not that.

The Cardinals haven't made the playoffs for two straight years now. In the meantime, Oli has called out his players, failed to manage the modern bullpen and fiddled with his lineup in an unhealthy fashion. I can't be more clear -- Marmol and St. Louis need a change of scenery. Mozeliak did not see it that way.

“All three of us were somewhat relieved,” Mozeliak said at the time, per The Athletic. “Because what you didn’t want to have happen was if we got off to a rocky start, all of a sudden everybody is calling up someone’s head. So really, it was more of not just a vote of confidence, because he knows we appreciate what he does and how hard he works. But I think it’s something that now no longer will be a distraction, for Oli, staff, players and front office.”

Well we're glad they weren't worried. The Cards confidence in Marmol has been rewarded with another missed opportunity, and another St. Louis October spent at home. If the Cards do opt to make changes, Marmol will be the fall guy. They already have some replacements lined up.

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Skip Schumaker would make the Cardinals better

Skip Schumaker makes the most sense as a plausible replacement for Marmol. Schumaker's current team, the Miami Marlins, is in the midst of yet another tank. The Marlins front office rarely spends money, and even when they do make the playoffs, they evidently fire their general manager (Kim Ng). Schumaker had a good relationship with Ng and a front office that for once wanted to invest in the team's young core.

That is no longer the case, though St. Louis would not be alone in pursuing Schumaker. The Chicago White Sox were reportedly interested in him as well upon firing Pedro Grifol. One would hope St. Louis has an advantage over the White Sox, given Chicago is on pace for the worst record in MLB history. Schumaker does have a past relationship with Tony La Russa, which would play to the Sox advantage.

Nonetheless, if the Cards want Schumaker, they should be able to land him. The connection makes all the sense in the world, as Schumaker once played for St. Louis. He's also used to playing for a small-market team, so the resources at his disposal will be a welcome sign with the Cards.

Yadier Molina would make the Cardinals worse

As beloved as Yadier Molina is within the Cardinals organization, he hasn't exactly been around that much since St. Louis named him a special advisor. Molina is more concerned with his life in Puerto Rico, including his professional basketball team. All of that is valid and his right...but in that case he shouldn't have signed up to help the Cardinals in the first place.

Molina is a former catcher, which in many cases makes a good manager. However, Yadi also has limited managerial experience -- he managed Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic -- and that could lead to a rude awakening in the big leagues.

Yadi is the type of managerial candidate who would thrive with the White Sox, for example. Molina would get a fresh start in an organization with nowhere to go but up. His connection with La Russa, much like Schumaker's, would provide him with a mentor from the jump.

Carlos Beltran would make the Cardinals better

The New York Mets wanted to hire Carlos Beltran as their manager -- heck, they did -- prior to the 2020 season. Then, all hell broke loose in Beltran's professional life, as the Astros sign-stealing scandal implicated him as one of the main instigators. Fair or not, the Mets rightly parted ways and went in a different direction.

However, it's been four years since then. AJ Hinch got a new job with the Detroit Tigers. Many of the players named in said scandal (who got a free pass for reasons??) remain in the league. Beltran deserves a chance to manage, and the Cardinals would be a GREAT first job should they fire Marmol.

Beltran was always renowned as one of the smartest baseball minds during his playing days. While he's not a former catcher, he's spent several years interested in managerial openings around baseball. Beltran is also a former Cardinal, spending two seasons in St. Louis and making the NL All-Star team in 2012 and 2013. Sign us up.