Cardinals terrible Oli Marmol plan is actually working to perfection
By Mark Powell
The St. Louis Cardinals were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers at home over the weekend, proving that, yes, this team can reach a new low early this season. It's tough to pinpoint any one issue as the prevailing problem with this St. Louis team, but the 2024 Cards are eerily similar to the squad which finished last in the NL Central just last year.
And that's part of the problem. The Cardinals front office, headlined by John Mozeliak, promised major changes that would impact not just the bottom line, but the on-field product. That hasn't come to fruition despite the additions of Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, Andrew Kittredge, Matt Carpenter and the list goes on. Early struggles from Paul Goldschmidt haven't helped matters, but St. Louis didn't make enough impactful moves to warrant a rise from worst to first, even in the wide-open Central.
In fact, the most important decision the Cardinals did make was in spring training, when they gave manager Oli Marmol a contract extension. That was a bold choice given everything listed above and a tumultuous 2023 season in St. Louis for Marmol.
“All three of us were somewhat relieved,” Mozeliak said, per The Athletic. “Because what you didn’t want to have happen was if we got off to a rocky start, all of a sudden everybody is calling up someone’s head. So really, it was more of not just a vote of confidence, because he knows we appreciate what he does and how hard he works. But I think it’s something that now no longer will be a distraction, for Oli, staff, players and front office.”
Oli Marmol extension is going according to plan for the Cardinals
Again, that is a terrible reason to give out a contract extension. A manager with something to prove should not be comfortable, and neither should the front office which hired him in the first place!
Here’s the most incredible part of this. The Cardinals *knew* this was coming. They *expected* this. They *planned* for it. That’s why they extended Oli Marmol right before the season started—they knew they’d be in a hole and there’d be questions about Oli. #STLCards #ForTheLou
— JBIF Stupid Town ™ (@johnrabe) April 21, 2024
Seems like it’s time for another Marmol contract extension. https://t.co/9jq5pH88u9
— Ryan Boyer (@RyanPBoyer) April 21, 2024
Marmol is not entirely to blame for the Cardinals 2024 flaws, but he certainly isn't good enough to help this team overcome them. In a winter where Craig Counsell jumped ship from the same Brewers team which swept St. Louis this weekend to the rival Cubs, the Cardinals should've considered a move just as bold.
Instead, they fell victim to complacency.
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