Albert Pujols becoming the Angels' manager may benefit the Cardinals later

Oliver Marmol is back to manage the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026, and the organization seems to indicate that he is the guy they want to back long term.

But as well all know, managers are hired with the understanding that they'll likely be fired one day. Very few skippers get to go out on "their own terms" with a club, and that includes some of the best to ever do it. While I am higher on Marmol's managerial leadership than many Cardinals fans seem to be, I am well aware that he likely won't be the Cardinals manager for decades to come.

So as Cardinals icon Albert Pujols is expected to become the next manager of the Los Angeles Angels, the whole situation has me thinking this could be the best result for both sides and could pave the way for an even better reunion down the line.

Albert Pujols beginning his managerial career elsewhere could bode well for the Cardinals long term.

Until proven otherwise, I'll continue to be enamored by the idea of Pujols managing the Cardinals. I believe he has the qualities necessary to be a truly great skipper for years to come, and it would be a real treat to see him do that for the city of St. Louis one day.

But, as many have pointed out, Pujols lacks any experience managing or coaching at the Major League level. Plenty of managers have proven they can overcome that before, but it is still a real question mark on his resume.

Pujols has, to his credit, managed in the Dominican Winter League, leading Leones del Escogido to championships in both the winter league and Caribbean Series. Players raved about his ability to lead that club and get the best out of that team, and that comes on the heels of years of MLB players expressing their awe of Pujols as well.

On top of being one of the best players to ever play the game, Pujols was an intentional pupil of Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa during their time together in St. Louis. Pujols spent countless hours picking La Russa's brain regarding how he saw the game, desiring to understand the game from the perspective of a manager. Pujols, even in the twilight of his career, also showed he was willing to adapt to the new trends in the game, one example being his willingness to allow current Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown to make significant changes to his approach and preparation when they were together with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For these reasons and many more, Pujols feels like a great candidate to manage a ballclub in 2026, but the stars just didn't quite align for him to do that in St. Louis, for now.

But baseball has a funny way of finding you if it was meant to be, and Pujols taking the Angels' managerial gig could set him up to be an even better manager with the Cardinals down the line, or help both sides avoid major headaches if managing isn't his strong suit.

If Pujols does well with the Angels, or it's clear that he is growing in his leadership and feel for the role by the time his tenure there is over, he may become the clear candidate for the Cardinals in a future campaign. Instead of getting rookie manager Pujols, the Cardinals can bring in a seasoned manager who has taken some lumps in that seat already and is better for it.

But if Pujols proves to be a mediocre or bad manager, well, it'll help both him and the Cardinals dodge a major bullet down the line. If Pujols had become the manager of this club and things had gone poorly, it may have resulted in a really messy breakup that could have hurt his standing with the club or the fanbase.

I totally would have understood if the Cardinals let go of Marmol and hired Pujols this offseason, but I supported their decision to retain Marmol and was fully expecting Pujols to land a job elsewhere. While it will be weird to see him managing in a different uniform, I think it could end up being the best thing for both Pujols and the Cardinals long-term. Let's hope we do get that reunion one day!