Dan Wilson’s run in Seattle is a reminder that a beloved player doesn’t always stay beloved once he moves into the manager’s chair - and that’s the warning sign hanging over the Cardinals if they ever hand the job to Yadier Molina or Albert Pujols.
On Sunday, the Mariners announced that Wilson was out as manager after a 76-86 season. According to a press release from the club, the decision came after conversations last week, and Wilson then emotionally read a letter to the press after the game explaining the split.
That ending lands especially hard because Wilson was never just another former player in Seattle. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 1990, traded to the Mariners in November 1993, and spent the next 12 years there.
Over 14 major league seasons, 12 came in Seattle. He became Randy Johnson’s primary battery mate, earned a reputation as a defense-first catcher who handled pitchers well, and was especially effective against left-handed pitching.
He was also an All-Star and a player the Mariners’ fan base embraced fully.
Seattle even welcomed him back as manager during the 2024 season, despite the fact that he had no previous managerial experience. He replaced Scott Servais and helped the club go 21-13 down the stretch, finishing 85-77. The Mariners then took another step forward in 2025, going 90-72 and losing in seven games to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS.
But by 2026, the story had turned. The Mariners stumbled to 76-86, and Wilson went from admired former player to the face of disappointment for a frustrated fan base. That’s the part Cardinals fans should pay attention to.
Molina is as cherished as they come in St. Louis.
Drafted by the Cardinals in 2000, he spent all 19 of his professional seasons with the organization and was recently inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame. His fire, work ethic, and loyalty made him a fan favorite, and his career all but guarantees first-ballot Hall of Fame status.
He finished his playing days after the historic 2022 season, with his reputation in St. Louis still glowing.
Pujols, too, is moving toward a managerial future of his own in Major League Baseball.
That’s where the caution comes in. Managers get hired to be fired.
Most do not leave on their own terms, and even the ones who do often have their names dragged through the mud by angry fans. If the Cardinals decide to put one of their most beloved figures in that seat, the fallout could hit not just the team, but the legacy of the man in the dugout.
Wilson’s fall from beloved ex-player to dismissed manager is exactly the kind of scenario St. Louis should keep in mind before handing the job to Molina or Pujols.
In Other News...
Oli Marmol Revisited The Early Goldschmidt Lesson That Changed Him
Long before the Cardinals were sorting through the present-day details of their roster, Oliver Marmol was already learning a lesson that would shape the way he handled players. In a private conversation, Paul Goldschmidt told Marmol that some of the younger guys felt intimidated by the managers demanding style, a blunt message that landed hard enough to stick with him. Marmol recently revisited that exchange as a turning point, one that forced him to think differently about how he connected with the clubs youngest players.
The memory appears to trace back to a 2023 road trip, though the exact timing and some of the names around the conversation are a little hazy now. Even so, the takeaway is clear for a manager whose edge was never in question: the challenge was not just getting players to meet a standard, but making sure they could hear it without feeling shut out. For the Cardinals, that kind of evolution matters because it says as much about the tone in the room as it does about the results on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals May Have An Expensive Answer To Their Third Base Problem
The Cardinals have taken care of a couple of major offseason chores already, with catcher and center field looking settled, but third base remains the lineups most obvious hole. It has been a weak spot since 2025, and that makes it one of the key areas St. Louis has to address if it wants a cleaner, more complete roster heading into next season.
One name to watch is Teruaki Sato, the 27-year-old third baseman and reigning MVP from Nippon Professional Baseball, who profiles as one of the top free agents available. He could offer an immediate answer at the hot corner, but the fit is not without questions, from his defensive home to the strikeout concerns that follow him, and on top of all that comes the price tag tied to bringing him over through the posting system. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face 3 Offseason Questions That Will Define This Rebuild
The Cardinals spent much of this season looking like a club caught between eras, which is exactly what makes the winter ahead so important. Even after trading away top players and officially leaning into a rebuild, St. Louis hung around the playoff race for most of the year before finishing with a losing record, and there were real signs of progress along the way. Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson and JJ Wetherholt all gave the organization reasons to believe the next wave might be close enough to matter.
Still, the offseason questions are the kind that can shape whether this rebuild moves forward or stalls out. The bullpen needs help, the rotation needs a front-end starter, and third base remains unsettled after Oliver Marmol called the competition there wide open with several players in the mix. For a team trying to thread the needle between development and contention, those are the decisions that will tell the story of what comes next in St. Louis. [Read more 🡒]