MLB Rumors: 4 St. Louis Cardinals who may not survive a disappointing 2024 season
By Curt Bishop
2. Oli Marmol
Manager Oli Marmol has undergone plenty of scrutiny this season. It began early in the season when he publicly called out Tyler O'Neill for a supposed lack of hustle. He also made plenty of questionable comments when the Cardinals shockingly removed Willson Contreras from the starting catcher role.
Marmol also has also struggled in terms of putting together winning lineups. Over the course of this season, the young Cardinals skipper has sat several of his stars in the final games of road series, instead opting to start players such as Taylor Motter and Alec Burleson, both of whom have not been terribly productive this year.
As such, the Cardinals have lost several series, as their stars were nowhere to be found in the lineup on certain days. Twice this season, he used Motter in key situations. In April, the Cardinals had the bases loaded with nobody out, and Marmol opted to pinch-hit Motter for Brendan Donovan. Motter proceeded to strike out.
In August, Marmol had Nolan Arenado on the bench with the team down 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Motter was at the plate and represented the tying run, but struck out.
Fans have been vocal about their discontent with Marmol and his construction of lineups, as well as his use of players such as Motter and Burleson. Because of the way this season went, and all the controversy surrounding the Cardinals, 2024 will be a very big year for Marmol.