Cardinals: 4 mistakes Oli Marmol can't afford to repeat if he wants to keep his job

2024 is going to be a make-or-break year for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Normally a perennial postseason contender, the Cardinals fell flat in 2023 and finished in last place in the NL Central with a record of 71-91. This put manager Oli Marmol on the hot seat.

Marmol is entering the final year of his contract with the Cardinals after replacing Mike Shildt in 2022, and 2024 is a big year for him as well. If the Cardinals miss the playoffs, he could be on his way out.

Here are four mistakes Marmol must avoid making if he wants to keep his job.

4. Getaway days/giving players "scheduled" days off

Several times in 2022 and 2023, Marmol made the mistake of giving players "scheduled" days off.

While giving a player a day off here and there is okay, Marmol took it to the extreme multiple times, and even made the mistake when the Cardinals desperately needed to avoid a series loss.

To make matters worse, he would do this with more than one of his regulars, essentially making it a getaway day for the team. That certainly didn't work out in their favor.

This led to players such as Taylor Motter and Alec Burleson seeing way too much playing time, which cost the Cardinals on several occasions.

To contend, the Cardinals are going to need their regulars in the lineup more often than not, and not have so many getaway days or scheduled days off. The goal should be to win, and to do that, they need to put their best foot forward.

Sitting Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt on the same day is not the way to go about managing.

While it became less of an issue late in the season when the Cardinals were already eliminated, it's still something to keep an eye on.