Oli Marmol doesn't believe in doomsday even if Cardinals fans are against him

On the day of the MLB trade deadline, the St. Louis Cardinals were in the thick of the postseason race, sitting at 54-52 on the season and just two games back of the third Wild Card spot. With the team acquiring Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham to fill two clear holes on their roster, it felt as if this team actually had a legitimate shot at the postseason.

Unfortunately, even after their most recent win on Saturday, the Cardinals are now 61-62 on the year, sitting 3.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot. FanGraphs gives them just 5.4 percent odds to make it to the postseason as of this writing.

Knowing this, it's easy for Cardinals fans to assume the worst. The team might miss the postseason again, and might finish under .500 for a second consecutive year for the first time in back-to-back full seasons in decades.

Cardinals fans want change, but manager Oli Marmol is not overreacting. He certainly doesn't appear to be expecting the worst.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Cardinals struggles don't appear to faze Oli Marmol even if they probably should

Assuming the Cardinals don't go on a ridiculous tear and claw their way to an unlikely postseason berth, changes are going to be coming this offseason. I mean, they have to be, right?

The most impactful change that St. Louis can make would be to fire John Mozeliak and shake things up in the front office. While Mozeliak's track record is extraordinary, obviously, sports are a "what have you done for me lately" business. The Cardinals will likely miss the postseason for a second straight year and haven't won a postseason game since 2020. They haven't won a postseason series since 2019. That should be unacceptable for such a successful organization like this one.

While firing Mozeliak would have the biggest impact, the easiest move for St. Louis to make would be to fire Marmol. No, it's not all his fault that the Cardinals are where they are, but he's an easy scapegoat. By placing the blame on Marmol, the Cardinals avoid having to get rid of a franchise legend like Mozeliak, and give Mozeliak one more year to get this back on track.

Marmol not outwardly showing any sort of fear of doomsday is probably a good thing, even with Cardinals fans wanting him gone, but he and his team have to be desperate at this point. If they don't turn things around immediately, changes will almost certainly have to be made. Getting rid of Marmol would be the easiest change to make.