Matt Carpenter addition proves Cardinals real problem starts with Oli Marmol

At the end of last week, the St. Louis Cardinals brought back an old friend, signing Matt Carpenter to a one-year deal worth the league minimum of $740K.

President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak cited the move as one that would help improve the clubhouse culture, as having a veteran voice around to speak up when things go wrong would be beneficial for the 11-time World Series champions.

In truth, there really is no downside to the move. Carpenter knows the organization and is a veteran that young players can lean on. However, it might reveal the root cause of the Cardinals problems.

Last season, the Cardinals began life without Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, who had retired at the end of the 2022 season. This left them without some key voices, but they still had players such as Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, and even Adam Wainwright.

But Mozeliak also talked about the clubhouse culture and stated that a lot of stress was put on Goldschmidt, and the idea of adding Carpenter was to ease the burden on the former MVP.

Still, there were other leaders in the clubhouse, players who provided valuable insight. And it might just go to show that the issue with the Cardinals wasn't so much the clubhouse culture, but rather Oli Marmol, the team's manager.

Matt Carpenter signing may reveal root cause of Cardinals problems

While nothing is certain, it can easily be inferred that Marmol was a bigger issue than the clubhouse culture, and there is evidence to substantiate the claim.

Early in the year, Marmol created a public stir when he criticized now departed outfielder Tyler O'Neill for a perceived lack of effort. He also was at the forefront of the controversy surrounding Willson Contreras when the veteran catcher was limited strictly to DH duties for about a week.

While Carpenter brings valuable veteran experience and leadership to the table, it's safe to assume that Marmol's possible inability to lead was the true issue for the Cardinals last season, and that he is only as good as the people he surrounds himself with.

In that case, the Cardinals front office also deserves a large amount of blame. They handpicked Marmol to be the new manager after firing Mike Shildt. They ultimately passed on Skip Schumaker and only hired him to be the bench coach. Schumaker left for the Miami Marlins and earned Manager of the Year honors in the National League.