So far, Chaim Bloom has been very well-liked by St. Louis Cardinals supporters, but if this latest revelation is an indication of things to come, he might face criticism from certain Cardinals supporters for the first time.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold reports that the Cardinals are considering extending manager Oliver Marmol’s contract, which is about to expire. Yes, Marmol’s leadership of the Cardinals’ clubhouse appears to be appreciated even by the current administration.
The Cardinals are exploring an extension with manager Oliver Marmol
John Mozeliak’s endorsement of Marmol was one thing. In the final years of Mozeliak’s leadership, supporters would never be able to trust his judgment. However, you would expect that fans would start to see Marmol differently if the new person liked him.
After the 2025 season, that new guy, Bloom, decided to keep Marmol, which apparently angered a lot of people. Unrest will undoubtedly grow louder now that an extension is being considered.
I’ve been vocal about my support for Marmol over the past few years because I think he’s still developing as a manager and I see a lot of positive aspects in his leadership. He has a solid grasp of player development and appears to be in sync with Bloom’s future strategy, thus the clubhouse appears to be on board with him. Bloom appears to agree that this is a good example of possible continuity for a company that wants to make a lot of changes.
I do urge you to take this into consideration if you have long desired Marmol’s departure. Why would Bloom, who has the power to restructure this company however he sees fit, choose to not only retain Bloom but also show interest in keeping him on board if Marmol is as terrible a boss as others have claimed? Bloom is staying with Marmol and appears to relish the idea of him being around for the long run, even though he could have easily hired his own manager this offseason or pursued a Cardinals legend like Albert Pujols or Yadier Molina.
The opinions of Marmol’s most ardent critics and those of the Cardinals organization—both the old guard and the new regime—clearly diverge. I do urge people to give Marmol more of an opportunity than they have, especially since the new leadership appears to think he is a man worth having around for the long run. Time will tell who proves to be right on this issue.
