St. Louis Cardinals: 3 Potential Replacements for Tony La Russa

When future Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa retired on Monday, it left a huge hole for the St. Louis Cardinals to fill.

There have been many names floated around as possibilities for the job, including Terry Francona, Joe Maddon, Bobby Valentine, Jose Oquendo and Terry Pendleton.

But there are several wrinkles that Cardinal brass must consider before hiring a new manager.

The biggest question has to be "How will it affect Albert Pujols' decision of where to play next season?"

Pujols or not though, there will be huge expectations for whomever takes the job. So let's take a look at the three guys who are best equipped to handle the position.

Terry Francona

Francona has experience dealing with star players and getting the most out of his roster.

Giving him a roster loaded with Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman, David Freese, Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and possibly Albert Pujols would all but ensure another successful season in St. Louis.

His laid back managerial style would be a refreshing change from the uptight, emotionless managing the Cardinals got from La Russa.

The biggest question if the Cardinals hire Francona is whether or not he'll be able to adjust quickly in his return to the National League.

After being away in the American League for so many years, it would be interesting to see how well he adjusted to more pitching changes and pinch-hitters.

Bobby Valentine

Valentine has been mentioned in connection with many open managerial jobs around the big leagues.

He's been successful wherever he's gone, whether it was with the New York Mets or in Japan.

He'd be a respected leader in the clubhouse and has experience in the National League.

He's a very smart baseball man and will be successful wherever he ends up.

Jose Oquendo

If the Cardinals want to resign Albert Pujols (and why wouldn't they?), they need to make Oquendo their new manager.

Oquendo has been the third base coach in St. Louis for a long time now, and the players respond well to them.

Former Cardinal David Eckstein told Fox Sports this week the only way the team can keep Pujols is to make Oquendo the manager.

If that's the case, they should do it. They could do far worse than Jose Oquendo as their manager.

What should the Cardinals do?

It's really simple at this point. If making Oquendo the manager will help them bring Pujols back, then they need to make Oquendo the manager.