Skip Shumaker already linked to nightmare landing spot for Cardinals fans

When Skip Schumaker had the club option on his contract removed ahead of the 2024 season, it was abundantly clear that the upcoming campaign would be his last with the Miami Marlins. Their season going just about as poorly as one could've expected just one year removed following a shocking postseason berth only made it clearer that Schumaker would be departing. The only question was where would he end up.

The Chicago White Sox have always loomed as a possibility, but would Schumaker really want to join what will likely be the worst team in MLB history? Another team linked pretty heavily to Schumaker was a team he played for, the St. Louis Cardinals. They'd need to fire Oli Marmol first, but the Cardinals would feel like a great fit for a proven MLB manager.

Now, after the Cincinnati Reds fired manager David Bell on Sunday, they loom as an intriguing possibility.

In fact, Bob Nightengale of USA Today is reporting that the Reds already have Schumaker on their radar as a potential replacement. If that's not nightmare fuel for Cardinals fans, it's tough to see what is.

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Cardinals could lose out on Skip Schumaker to worst possible team

If the Cardinals were to lose out on Schumaker, whether it was to hold onto Marmol or hire someone else, they'd at least like for the 2023 NL Manager of the Year to stay out of their division. Teams like the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are set in the dugout with Craig Counsell and Pat Murphy, respectively, but the Reds do not have a manager now, and they feel like a team that could do serious damage with Schumaker.

Yes, the 2024 season did not go the way Cincinnati envisioned, as barring a five-game winning streak to finish off their year, they'll finish under the .500 mark just one year removed from looking like legitimate postseason contenders. With that being said, though, they were as unlucky as any team in the National League.

Matt McLain, one of their best players from last season, did not play a single game in 2024, missing the year due to injury. Jeimer Candelario, their big free agency signing from this past offseason, has missed substantial time due to injury. Noelvi Marte, a top prospect, was busted for PEDs and missed a large portion of this season.

On the pitching front, virtually everyone who started a game for the Reds missed some time due to injury. Their bullpen wasn't as banged up, but it did struggle. Alexis Diaz in particular took a step back after an All-Star year in 2023.

It felt like everything went wrong for the 2024 Reds, yet they're still just five games under .500 as of this writing and have a positive run differential. Having a positive run differential suggests that this Reds team is better than their record dictates. They have an extremely young and exciting core led by electric stars like Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene capable of putting together monster years, and a strong supporting cast as well with guys like Spencer Steer and Nick Lodolo capable of providing major sparks.

The 2024 season did not go how they envisioned, but with better health and a better bullpen this Reds team could have emerged as a threat without Schumaker. With Schumaker, a manager who led an undermanned Marlins team to the postseason, the sky could very well be the limit.

This Reds team has way more talent than the 2023 Marlins did, yet Schumaker led them to the postseason. The idea of Schumaker joining a talented and young team in the NL Central should not be an exciting one for Cardinals fans.