Randy Flores has barely settled into his new job as Astros general manager, and already one of the biggest calls on his desk is clear: find a manager.
That search could send him straight back to the Cardinals. Flores, the former St. Louis pitcher and assistant GM, has obvious ties to a number of current and former Cardinals, and those connections are quickly becoming part of the conversation around who might lead Houston next.
Daniel Descalso looks like the name with the strongest momentum. The Cardinals bench coach has been viewed as a managerial candidate for years, and his reputation has only grown because of the way he has helped Oliver Marmol steer the club through some rocky seasons.
He is known as a strong communicator, detail-oriented, and someone who can run a clubhouse. Flores has seen that up close, and that familiarity could matter a lot if Houston wants a first-time manager it already trusts.
Jon Jay is another Cardinals staffer who belongs in the mix. The former Cardinals outfielder has earned a good reputation around the game and has been a useful piece on the St.
Louis coaching staff. He might fit best as a bench coach if Descalso gets the top job, but there is also enough respect around Jay that he would not be a surprise as a manager candidate himself.
He drew strong reviews while working on Skip Schumaker’s staff with the Miami Marlins, and he has been on the managerial radar ever since.
Then there is Albert Pujols, a former teammate of Flores and a bigger swing if Houston wants one. Pujols has been very open about wanting to manage in the big leagues, and with the Los Angeles Angels situation unsettled because of the ownership turnover, Houston could make sense as his first stop.
He has already managed in the Dominican Winter League and the World Baseball Classic, and he has been considered for multiple jobs in recent offseasons, including with the Angels, San Diego Padres, and Baltimore Orioles. His presence would carry instant weight in an Astros clubhouse, and the source material suggests he could be exactly the kind of manager needed to keep veterans engaged while Flores reshapes the roster in a soft-retool situation.
If Houston goes for the boldest option, Pujols is the one.
Yadier Molina is in the same former-teammate lane, only with an even deeper connection to Flores as his battery mate. Molina has also made no secret of wanting to manage at the major league level, and Houston could be the opportunity that pulls him away from St.
Louis. He has served as a special advisor with the Cardinals in recent years and spent time around both the big league club and the minor league affiliates during the 2026 season.
He could be a candidate for the Cardinals job someday if Marmol were ever replaced, but for now he has been getting his managerial reps in the Winter League and World Baseball Classic. His fire makes him intriguing, even if it might also give some teams pause.
Still, nobody questions his baseball mind, and he would be expected to handle in-game decisions well once he gets the chance.
Ben Johnson rounds out the list. The Cardinals’ Triple-A manager has been mentioned as a possible MLB manager before, and his track record with prospects could make him the safest choice for Flores.
Johnson has done excellent work with the Memphis Redbirds, becoming the winningest manager in their history and earning strong reviews along the way. He may not be the loudest name in the race right now, but he is absolutely someone to watch if Houston starts lining up interviews.
In Other News...
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Randy Flores, John Mozeliak, Gary LaRocque and Matt Slater are among the executives who have exited, while some holdovers from the previous regime remain in place. For a franchise trying to turn the page without losing its institutional backbone, the changes suggest Bloom is not simply tweaking the edges, but reshaping how the Cardinals want to function going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Ties Could Suddenly Shape The Astros Next Dugout Move
The Astros front office shakeup has a familiar Cardinals flavor to it, with Randy Flores now stepping in as general manager after Houston moved on from Dana Brown. Flores was part of a broad search that included Brad Ausmus and Matt Kleine, and the process reportedly reached the point of an offer to Kleine before the Astros settled on Flores. For St. Louis followers, the ripple effect is obvious: one of their own is now in charge of a division rival, and the next move could come quickly.
Flores does not have much time to settle in before the looming lockout, which makes the manager search especially urgent. Among the names being discussed are Ausmus, Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Morgan Ensberg, a list that mixes experience, star power and deep Cardinals ties. The Astros still have to decide which direction they want to go, and Flores first major call could say a lot about how he plans to shape the club around him. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Tough Astros Decision For Their Future
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Hunter Brown and Jeremy Pena are the headliners in that conversation, and both come with the kind of recent performance and contract questions that make any potential pursuit complicated. There is also another Astros target in the mix, which only adds to the sense that St. Louis may have to choose carefully about where to spend its capital, because the right swing could help define the next phase of the roster, while the wrong one could leave the Cardinals still searching for answers. [Read more 🡒]