What are the chances Albert Pujols or Yadier Molina manage the Cardinals in 2026?

In so many ways, the transition from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom starts a new era of Cardinals baseball. It will be a pivot to the future, one hopefully filled with a return to regular World Series contention.

And yet, you’ll forgive me if I can’t help but wonder if Cardinals manager Oli Marmol will spend the year hearing footsteps from the past.

Last week’s news that the Padres are hiring Craig Stammen as their new manager effectively ends any chance of Albert Pujols leading a club in 2026.  (Technically, the Colorado Rockies are still looking for a new manager, but Albert can’t be that desperate. Right?) With the potential doomsday scenario of Albert and Yadier Molina (as bench coach) teaming up in San Diego no longer a consideration, the logical next question asks itself.

Will the duo instead reunite in Cardinals red next year?

It was literally only a few days ago that I wrote about how this offseason needed to be one of appreciation for Marmol He’s gotten a bad beat these last few years – including from me! – and I think it’s time to reconsider.

But you also can’t blame Cardinals fans who will be dreaming of Albert or Yadi – or Albert and Yadi – taking over the reins in 2026. Chaim Bloom has said all the right things about Marmol as manager but, at the end of the day, he wasn’t his hire.

Plus, the Cardinals aren’t expected to contend next year (and maybe for years after). Assuming the Cardinals play as expected next year, how much flak will Bloom really get if he sacks a manager who posted only two winning records, one playoff appearance, and zero playoff wins in five years, regardless of where the fault lies?

And while Bloom also had said all the right things about moving forward with a view to the future, how tempting will it be for him, or for ownership, to want to make the splash of hiring a former Redbird legend to manage? Want to take the sting out of an upcoming rebuild? Having Yadi or Albert (or again, both!) calling the shots from the dugout sure would be an easy marketing grab.

Would that be fair to Marmol? No.

Would it be smart? That’s debatable. I’m as big a fan of Albert and Yadi as anyone (I mean, my dog is named Yadi!) and there’s no doubting their competitive fire or baseball acumen. But would that automatically translate into success managing a big league club? And do they even want to step into what sure seems like it might be a multi-year rebuild? It’s also fair to wonder how long the honeymoon phase would last if that rebuild continues to stretch on.

Look, maybe this is much ado about nothing. Maybe Bloom has no intention of even considering a new manager. Or maybe that option is open but a return to the past doesn’t interest him at all. Maybe this becomes a closed question due to a potential lockout after the 2026 season.

But as a new season begins to dawn, one promised to focus on a new future of Cardinals baseball, here’s hoping we don’t hear endless chatter about legends of the past.