Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Insider Weighs In On Chance Of Legend Returning As Manager

Could the Cardinals legend return to St. Louis?
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

In this story:

St. Louis Cardinals

One former St. Louis Cardinals superstar got a lot of buzz throughout the offseason.

Cardinals legend Albert Pujols has been clear about his hope to manage at the big league level one day. He took over Leones del Escogido and has shined. Pujols led the team to win the Dominican Professional Baseball League and the Caribbean Series titles.

It was announced that he will be managing the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and he made it clear that he is open and hoping to return to the big leagues as a manager in the near future. Unsurprisingly, this led to chatter about Pujols returning to St. Louis to take over the manager job.

The job isn't currently open and Oli Marmol is under contract. This hasn't stopped speculation, though. It's an odd time for the Cardinals with big changes coming after the season with Chaim Bloom stepping in as the president of baseball operations.

If there is a change, could Pujols land the job? The Athletic's Katie Woo weighed in on the subject.

"It's not surprising that he wants to manage, he's said it before," Woo said. "I mean, he basically said it as he was retiring. I think he really is open to anywhere. What this means for the Cardinals is a whole different can of worms because while Oli Marmol is under contract through 2026, we all know what happens when a new front office is about to take over, nothing is guaranteed. Now, is this even more weird because the Cardinals are doing this kind of lame duck GM thing that quite literally no other team would do? Yes, it is.

"But, it's really hard to say what this means from the manager point of view for the Cardinals because there is so much up in the air with Chaim Bloom coming in and the contract. It's too early to speculate. I get it Cardinals fans. Why wouldn't you want Albert Pujols to come in and manage St. Louis? But I really think that he's open to manage anywhere if the opportunity is right and we will have an entire offseason -- perhaps, perhaps not -- to talk about managerial changes."

It's far too early to know what will happen, but it is a fun thought.

More MLB: Cardinals Legend Reveals Surprising Update On Future MLB Plans

Published
Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

Home/St. Louis Cardinals News