Why one rumored Cardinals Oli Marmol replacement stands out over two legends

The St. Louis Cardinals are becoming increasingly likely to part ways with their manager, Oli Marmol at the end of the season. Marmol has been on the hot seat for the entire season, but as the Cardinals are set to miss the postseason, his seat should be hot enough to get him out of town.

MLB insider Jon Heyman recently connected the Cardinals to three former players that could find themselves back in the organization, this time as a manager.

"Ex-Cardinal player and coach Skip Schumaker would make a natural manager candidate in St. Louis if the Cardinals make a change," Heyman wrote. "Two other obvious managerial candidates there: Cardinals icons Yadier Molina and perhaps even all-time great Albert Pujols."

But, of the three, who makes the most sense and who doesn't?

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Why Albert Pujols would work but isn’t Cardinals best candidate

All three men that Heyman listed would be solid candidates for the job, but unfortunately, when looking at them, somebody has to be in last. In this scenario, it's Albert Pujols, the long time Cardinal and MLB legend, that finds himself at the end of this list.

Pujols just doesn't have much experience in a manager's spot. He took his first managing job this season, with the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League. This Dominican Winter League managing job is just the foot in the door for Pujols. The odds of him making a quick turnaround to manage an MLB team just a few months after his current season remain quite low.

Pujols has been on MLB Network among other shows and podcasts where he has continued to show his knowledge of the game. There's no doubt that Pujols knows the game, the situations and the personel aspect. But there is so much more than goes into being a manager than just being a good ballplayer.

With Pujols' eagerness to get into managing, I would expect him to end up with a big league club at some point. But he would need to build his resume as a manager a bit before the Cardinals trust him with the team.

Why Yadier Molina would work but isn’t Cardinals best candidate

Yadier Molina is a bit similar to Pujols, but also a bit different. His experience level also isn't as high as some of those that could be seeking the job as St. Louis' next manager. Molina has worked in the Caribbean League with the Puerto Rican Criollos de Caguas team that reached last year's Caribbean Series.

But, his managing resume is still quite thin, yet still more than Pujols.

There is no doubt that Molina would be a solid candidate for the job. He was the backbone of the Cardinals team for the entirety of his playing days. His leadership and baseball IQ remain as two of his best attributes around the game of baseball. They're not features that can be found in too many other people. Plus, he brings a certain youth and understanding of the way that today's game is played from a personal perspective.

But, the Cardinals will have high hopes with every season until they enter a rebuild. They're not rebuilding yet, so it would be a bit odd to see them go get a manager that will experience some growing pains. St. Louis can't afford too many mistakes from their manager.

Why Skip Schumaker is the Cardinals best managerial candidate

The obvious top managing option on this list is the current Miami Marlins manager, Skip Schumaker. If the Cardinals had their choice of all the men in baseball that will be managing free agents this offseason, I would venture to guess that Schumaker would be the guy they wanted.

But that's also where the issue begins. If St. Louis is going to be aggressive in his market, so is every other team that's searching for a new manager. And there are quite a few of them.

Schumaker is expected to leave the Marlins this offseason after a successful run to the postseason last year. It's unfair to really judge him on the performance from Miami this season, as he was handed one of the cheapest and overall worst rosters in the entire league. The fact that Miami isn't down near the White Sox in the standings is a win in itself.

Out of the three former players that Heyman mentioned, it will be Schumaker that St. Louis would seemingly try the hardest to go after. But the market will be hot for the young manager. If the Cardinals happen to whiff on signing him, I would expect Pujols or Molina to both be on the board as emergency backup options.