John Mozeliak should pay attention to Cardinals legend's latest managerial step

If there's any team that loves its legends, it's the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans. Jim Edmonds, an outfielder who played eight seasons with the Redbirds, is now a color commentator on their TV broadcast. Yadier Molina, a legendary catcher and (hopefully) future Hall of Famer, is a special advisor to John Mozeliak and is a player Cardinals fans have been wanting to manage their team since he hung up his spikes.

This love of legends can even be backed up by recent roster moves that this Cardinals organization has made. They brought Matt Carpenter back on a one-year deal this past offseason despite a brutal 2023 campaign. They brought Lance Lynn back on a one-year deal despite some struggles of his own in 2023. They even brought Albert Pujols back in 2023 for one last dance.

Pujols is retired now, but he's still active in the baseball world. He just accepted a job to manage in the Dominican Winter League for Leones del Escogido. It isn't a job in the majors, but it's something that Mozeliak should be focusing on, especially after seeing what Pujols had to say about this position.

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John Mozeliak needs to pay attention to Albert Pujols in the Dominican Winter League

Pujols is excited to manage in the Dominican Winter League for the team he grew up rooting for, but his ultimate goal appears to be managing at the MLB level in the future. This is a step for him to prove that he's cut out for the job.

Pujols is obviously a legend not only for the Cardinals but in MLB. He knows the game and was great at it, but that doesn't mean he's cut out to be an MLB manager. By taking this job, he's out to prove that he deserves a shot in the majors one day.

If Pujols proves he's cut out for the role, why shouldn't the Cardinals be interested? Oli Marmol has been far from a difference maker, and if this season continues to trend in the wrong direction, there's reason to believe he'll be gone this offseason.

This isn't me saying the Cardinals need to hire Pujols this offseason at all. What they do need to do, though, is keep an eye on what he's doing. Chances are, this Winter League stint won't be all Pujols does in the managerial realm. Perhaps one day we'll see both Pujols and Molina fighting for a Cardinals managerial vacancy. Wouldn't that be something?