The push to hand the Cardinals over to Yadier Molina sounds good in theory, but the latest evidence says that idea comes with real baggage.
Molina was ejected for the second time in three days on October 26 while managing the Navagantes del Magalles. His team, the Navagantes, had started the season 2-10.
That’s the kind of scene that should give anyone dreaming about him as St. Louis’ next manager a pause.
His edge is part of the reason he was such an iconic figure in St. Louis, and there’s no question his fire plays well with fans who want a hard-charging dugout presence.
But there’s a difference between passion and a manager repeatedly losing his cool. A club trying to survive the grind of a season does not need its manager becoming part of the drama.
There’s also the practical problem: if things go off the rails, who makes the move to fire him? In St. Louis, that would be a brutal call for a front office to make, and it would hand enormous power to someone who ought to be leading the clubhouse, not running the whole show without any real restraint on his side.
The comparison to Aaron Boone is a reminder that being a celebrated former player doesn’t automatically make someone the right person for the job. Boone, a solid player and the man behind one of the most famous home runs in Yankees history, now carries his own share of skepticism. Molina’s reputation as one of the game’s great field generals deserves respect, but confidence alone doesn’t win anything.
The Cardinals need more than a fiery name and a familiar face. If Molina is ever going to be viewed as the answer in St. Louis, he has to prove he can rein in the temper that keeps putting him in these situations.
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Nathan Church and Victor Scott II are expected to handle center field in the short term, giving the Cardinals a stopgap answer while they wait on more depth to arrive. Tai Peete and Josiah Ragsdale are part of that longer-range picture, which leaves the front office balancing patience with the need to get the current alignment right now. [Read more 🡒]
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Cardinals Fans Can Finally Dream Big About Leo Bernal
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For a franchise that has lived in the long shadow of Yadier Molinas legacy, the fit is impossible to ignore. Baseball America has already described Bernal as the likely successor, and the expectation is that he will open 2027 as the Cardinals' starter. For now, the organization can at least enjoy the rare luxury of having a catcher prospect whose ceiling feels both real and close. [Read more 🡒]