Cardinals could target legendary manager to replace Oli Marmol

The St. Louis Cardinals are in freefall mode, having dropped below the .500 mark for the first time since June 19. It seems likely that they will miss the postseason and possibly even finish under .500 for a second straight year.

Should this happen, the Cardinals will need to make some major changes, with a new manager being a possibility. Zach Pressnell of FanSided listed legendary manager Terry Francona as a fit.

"The Cardinals could try to find a way to bring Francona back to managing games as he would be quite the upgrade over what they have right now," Pressnell wrote.

Francona would be a perfect fit in St. Louis. He's a player's manager and would instantly have the respect and trust of the clubhouse.

The legendary manager won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and 2007, beating the Cardinals in '04. His strong track record precedes him and would make him the ideal candidate to potentially take over for Marmol if the latter is sacked at the end of the year.

The former skipper has dealt with his fair share of health problems over the years, and he ultimately stepped away after the 2023 season. This could complicate matters if the Cardinals want to hire him.

Still, he's a proven winner and the kind of manager St. Louis needs. After the 2011 season, St. Louis had him on their radar to replace Tony La Russa ultimately chose Mike Matheny.

We'll see if he's ultimately in the running to claim the job in the event that Marmol is fired.

More MLB: Cardinals could target veteran Mariners slugger this winter as DH option