Where will the Cardinals proceed from here with Oli Marmol?
The St. Louis Cardinals’ season has been a rollercoaster, leaving the organization questioning its leadership.
Despite signing a contract deal before Opening Day, manager Oli Marmol appeared to be in hot water early in the season. The Cardinals then rebounded and were firmly in playoff contention, making it appear prudent to retain both Marmol and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. However, with the Cardinals on the outside looking in for a postseason position, the same worries about Marmol’s job future are surfacing.
To be fair, the Cardinals aren’t terrible. They are 70-69, just 5.5 games away of a wild card place. However, despite being a quality club with veterans and high-end young players, they have fallen short of expectations this season. Nolan Arenado, the team’s veteran slugger, has rebounded from a bad start to the season, but he is still hitting.266/.316/.394 with 15 home runs and 64 RBI. Meanwhile, Paul Goldschmidt has put up the worst figures of his 14-year career and confronts an unclear future.
It has caused ticket prices to tumble and attendance to approach historic lows in St. Louis. And if the Cardinals want to send a message to the fan base that the organization is serious about competing, they will make a change at the top.
How Cardinals changes will affect Oli Marmol, John Mozeliak
These adjustments are unlikely to include Mozeliak. It is anticipated that he will complete his contract until 2025, putting the Cardinals in position to look for a new president of baseball operations. Chaim Bloom, an advisor in the front office, would be a strong candidate for the position.
Marmol’s situation, meanwhile, remains unknown. If the Cardinals fire Marmol, the team will be on its third manager since the 2021 season. There would undoubtedly be a big list of interested candidates for the position, with Skip Schumaker of the Miami Marlins standing out as a strong possibility.
Everyone in baseball pays attention to what the Cardinals do. Right now, no one knows. However, with the playoffs becoming increasingly unlikely and attendance numbers decreasing, Marmol has never been under more pressure. Also, ownership may be forced to make another managerial change.
