No team is more screwed over by White Sox Pedro Grifol decision than Cardinals

The Chicago White Sox finally freed their fall guy on Thursday morning, firing manager Pedro Grifol in what can only be described as one of the worst seasons in MLB history. Grifol was set up for failure, as Chris Getz has been vocal about embracing a rebuild on the south side of Chicago. The young manager didn't do himself any favors -- and surely even Getz didn't think things would get this bad -- but even the best of skippers wouldn't have made much of a difference managing a team this devoid of talent.

By firing Grifol now, which most insiders and pundits assumed would happen before the end of the season, the White Sox have a leg up on the competition. Getz can target his next manager sooner rather than later.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

White Sox already have a favorite to replace Pedro Grifol

One logical replacement who's been floated is current Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray wrote about that possibility earlier this week:

"Schumaker and the Miami Marlins removed the team option from his contract for 2025 before the 2024 season, and the expectation around baseball is that he will leave the Marlins after this season...He will be the top managerial candidate available and should have interest from many teams, including the White Sox," Murray wrote.

Murray isn't the only insider to report this possibility, as USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote that Schumaker is expected to be among the frontrunners for the White Sox job.

How the White Sox screwed over the St. Louis Cardinals

While the White Sox fate has been secure for some time now, the St. Louis Cardinals are fighting for an NL Wild Card spot. If the Cardinals miss the postseason with this kind of investment from the front office, Oli Marmol could be the fall guy in St. Louis. Marmol made a bad impression on the clubhouse in 2023, and this would be two straight seasons of missing the playoffs for the Cardinals.

Marmol signed a one-year extension prior to the season, with John Mozeliak giving the classic excuse that they didn't want a manager leading the team on an expiring contract. That's all fine and good, but considering the trade deadline decision-making and payroll investment by ownership, keeping Marmol around after another missed postseason would be severely lowering the bar in St. Louis.

As a former Cardinal himself, Schumaker would make a lot of sense if Mozeliak were to fire Marmol. However, Schumaker -- much like most of us -- doesn't want to be a backup plan. He also has ties to the White Sox through Tony La Russa, who remains with the organization. Any advantage, even time, could mess with the Cardinals plans in a few months.

Hopefully for them, Marmol can rally his team to the postseason and avoid such a fate altogether.