The St. Louis Cardinals have a history of being unreliable. The St. Louis front office, which was once run by John Mozeliak and is currently run by Chaim Bloom, must be in a continual state of contemplation since Oli Marmol is not going to be their manager in the future. This past winter, St. Louis chose to keep Marmol on board as they made last-minute roster changes rather than remove him and recruit a manager who shared Bloom’s philosophy. They are now officially behind a division competitor since Derek Shelton was sacked by the Pirates, who may have gained an advantage in the process.
For the time being, Don Kelly is the manager. As a seasoned assistant, Kelly has the potential to make an immediate impression on the Pirates and land a new contract. In any case, the Pirates have nearly a whole season to decide what to do next. They have more options than the Cardinals, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll choose well.
Why didn’t the Cardinals fire Oli Marmol last offseason?
Because of his experience in player development, Marmol was retained by the Cards. It was hoped Marmol would assist those potential stars advance because the team had key young players like Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. Both, however, are striking below the Mendoza line. Both players have a lot of runway, but it’s not endless, according to Marmol.
Marmol stated after the conclusion of the 2024 season that the growth of these young Cardinals players is essential to his success as manager. They fail if he does.
Marmol stated in September of last year that “we need to build this group up and get them ready to go on a real run and not just compete every now and then and make the playoffs every other year.” It is imperative that we unite as a community and keep growing. Despite being young, the group is good. Ultimately, I believe that a bright future is ahead.
Whatever Marmol is doing is insufficient, according to the Cards’ front office’s response thus far this season. He is not the manager that will guide St. Louis into the next phase of baseball that will qualify for the playoffs. But why is he still alive if that’s the case?
Shelton was fired by the Pirates because they knew he wasn’t the right fit. The Cards are using borrowed time to function.
