Ideal Oli Marmol replacement shows the fire Cardinals wish their manager had

The St. Louis Cardinals front office has confidence that Oli Marmol is the right manager for this team. No matter how many times I type it, Cards fans are unlikely to feel the same way.

Marmol received a contract extension before the season, much to the dismay of the St. Louis fanbase. The Cardinals failed to make the postseason last year despite a loaded roster offensively. This winter, John Mozeliak didn't inspire confidence with his rotation additions outside of new ace Sonny Gray.

It's not Marmol's fault he's stuck with what can only be described as a lackluster rotation, but in the end he should be the fall guy if the Cardinals again fail to make the playoffs. St. Louis's reasoning for extending their manager in the first place left many scratching their heads.

“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.”

A potential Oli Marmol replacement could be available for the Cardinals next winter

If the Cards do surprise fans and pundits alike by making the playoffs, Marmol will not be let go. I can end that discussion before it even begins. Yet, one ideal replacement would be Marlins skipper Skip Schumaker, who is at odds with the Marlins front office over his team's lack or resources and spending.

"A (Schumaker) return in 2025, at this point, is not considered likely in the wake of the change in the front office hierarchy, coupled with the organization’s decision not to improve the roster this past offseason," the Miami Herald reported a few weeks ago.

Schumaker's Marlins may be destined for failure given their rough start to the 2024 campaign, but he is doing his best to get this young group riled up.

Frankly, it's been a tough couple of weeks for the boys in blue, and Schumaker is right to plead his case with the crew chief. While it did not work in his favor, Schumaker's players will undoubtedly respect him even more for fighting on their behalf.

Inserting Schumaker for Marmol doesn't make the Cardinals a World Series contender on its own. It is, though, more sensible than giving an unproven manager a contract extension he hasn't earned.