MLB rumors: Could Cardinals change mind on Marmol? Machado's failure as leader, Astros giving batters an advantage

Cardinals are rocking with Oli Marmol, but could available manager change things?

The St. Louis Cardinals have been publicly firm about moving forward with manager Oliver Marmol in 2024. That might come as a disappointment for fans, but frankly, it's not much of a surprise. The Cardinals are a franchise known for being steady and reliable, and though the product on the field was anything but that this year, the team does not appear anxious to make a change in dugout leadership anytime soon.

If the Cardinals hold true to that promise, Marmol will be entering his third year as manager of the St. Louis club.

But they might have just gotten the best indication yet that there's someone worth changing course for... Division rival Craig Counsell, who currently manages the Milwaukee Brewers.

Counsell was thought to be taking a break from managing in the near future, but Bob Nightengale reports that Counsell is still mulling over his future. The Brewers are on track to win the NL Central, yet Counsell does not have a contract in place for next season. Nightengale rightly points out that he'll be a highly sought-after hire for plenty of MLB teams if he has a desire to keep managing and the Brewers let him hit the open market, or if he hopes to leave Milwaukee despite a substantial offer for a new contract with the Brew Crew.

Nightengale points out the Mets, who are currently led by Buck Showalter, as one possible fit. There's a new head honcho in town with David Stearns the newly hired President of Baseball Ops. There could be something there.

But, if Counsell is open to a new location, NL Central teams would be wise to hire him away from the Brewers. He is 699-619 as a manager, 265-207 over the last three seasons going into Sunday. He has led the Brewers to three NL Central titles in eight full seasons, soon to be four in nine. Counsell has finished second in manager of the year voting three times, and inside the top-eight five times.

Truthfully, it feels like a longshot that the Cardinals would change courses drastically after committing publicly to Marmol. But if there's a manager out there worth doing it for, it might be Counsell.