The St. Louis Cardinals remain a model of inconsistency. Caught in a perpetual state of indecision, the front office—once led by John Mozeliak and now by Chaim Bloom—must realize that Oli Marmol isn’t their long-term solution at manager.
Instead of making a clean break this past offseason and bringing in someone aligned with Bloom’s philosophy, the team chose to keep Marmol while attempting to overhaul the roster midstream. That hesitation has now left them trailing a division rival.
The Pirates, in contrast, made a decisive move by firing Derek Shelton and may have gained an advantage as a result. Don Kelly, a veteran bench coach, has taken over as interim manager and could quickly prove his value, potentially earning the job permanently.
Regardless of what happens, Pittsburgh now has nearly a full season to evaluate its next step—an opportunity the Cardinals failed to give themselves.
Why didn’t the Cardinals fire Oli Marmol last offseason?
The Cardinals chose to stick with Oli Marmol largely because of his background in player development. With young talents like Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman on the roster, the organization hoped Marmol could guide them into becoming cornerstone players.
However, both are currently struggling at the plate, hitting below the Mendoza Line. While Marmol has acknowledged they still have time to improve, that window isn’t limitless.
After the 2024 season, Marmol openly stated that his success as manager is closely tied to how well these young players progress. If they don’t, his tenure will likely be viewed as a failure.
“We have to get this group to the point where they’re ready to make a serious run,” Marmol said last September. “It’s not enough to just compete here and there or sneak into the playoffs occasionally. This is a young but talented core, and they need to keep growing together. I truly believe their future is bright.”
So far this season, the front office seems to have their answer: Marmol’s approach hasn’t delivered. He doesn’t appear to be the right fit to lead the next playoff-caliber era of Cardinals baseball. But if that’s the case, why is he still in charge?
The Pirates moved on from Derek Shelton because they recognized he wasn’t the answer. The Cardinals may be delaying the inevitable.
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