Oliver Marmol was entering the final year of his contract until the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a contract extension with the manager. Marmol, 37, has managed a 164-160 record since taking over following the team’s dismissal of Mike Shildt. It includes a 93-69 division-winning performance in his debut managerial campaign as well as a 71-91, last-place finish in 2023. The Cardinals will hold a press conference on Friday afternoon.
We have signed Manager Oliver Marmol to a two-year contract extension through the 2026 season.#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/80ejG854bo
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 15, 2024
Cardinals Extend Manager Oliver Marmol
The Cardinals don’t view last year’s disappointment as a reflection of Marmol’s ability to set the path in the long term. In fact, Marmol has spent his entire baseball career in the Cardinals organization. He was a sixth-round draft pick back in 2007 as Marmol’s minor league career last four seasons. He moved into a coaching role within the system, rising through the minor league ranks with coaching and managing. Marmol was added to the Cardinals’ big league staff as their first base coach, holding on to that role for two seasons before taking over as bench coach for the next three years.
President of Baseball Operations Supports Marmol
John Mozeliak addressed the most pressing topic in the offseason. Not only was Marmol coming back to manage, but he also had Mozeliak’s support per Katie Woo of The Athletic.
“I do support [Marmol],” Mozeliak said. “I know he’ll be back next year.”
The manager role never figured to be an area that needed change, with the Cardinals having one of their worst seasons in 50 years. Even with St. Louis one loss shy from securing its first losing season since 2007.
“I think the job he does is good, I really do,” Mozeliak said. “I think this year is tough. There’s always going to be finger-pointing on what went wrong, what could we have done differently. And that starts with myself. We know when we look at 2024, things have to be different, but I’m certainly encouraged with what I see from Oli as a young manager. He’s well organized, I think he’s prepared, and I do think he gets a lot out of his players.”
Extension Offers the Cardinals Stability
Marmol doesn’t have to worry about an extension anymore. He has at times, faced his fair share of criticism for his handling of players. He’ll be locked up through the 2026 campaign. It offers the Cardinals stability in the role but avoids the routine of rumors, questions and speculations about his job security throughout the season.
Main Photo: © Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
