St. Louis ? Cardinals manager Tony La Russa confirmed Friday that he is prepared to return for a 13th season in his current post, barring unforeseen complications in his ongoing talks with team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr.

“The fact that we’re talking pretty much daily and everything is progressing tells you where it’s heading and where we’d like it to end up,” La Russa said after speaking with DeWitt. “Obviously, that’s assuming nothing falls through the cracks.”

La Russa emphasized his desire to return to the Cardinals.