Random Oli Marmol vote of confidence can’t fool John Mozeliak into keeping him around

The St. Louis Cardinals finished second in the NL Central but missed the postseason. The Cards were 10 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers and punted on their season around mid-August, if not earlier. The reason any of this, including manager Oli Marmol's future, is because of what happened on Tuesday night.

Pat Murphy of the Brewers won NL Manager of the Year, which was deserved. When Craig Counsell left Milwaukee for the rival Chicago Cubs, most pundits in the industry assumed the Brewers would take a step back. This sentiment only grew when they traded ace Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles. Murphy did not care, and ultimately led the Brewers to the NL postseason.

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Brewers manager Pat Murphy deserved NL Manager of the Year

As FanSided's Robert Murray detailed back in August, Murphy was destined to win this award. There's a reason Milwaukee didn't blink twice in making him Counsell's replacement.

"When Counsell left for Chicago, the Brewers immediately identified Murphy as his replacement. They valued his relationships with the players, coaches and the front office. They believed he would bring a hard-nosed, aggressive form of baseball to Milwaukee while maintaining Counsell’s ability to maximize the pitching staff," Murray wrote.

Murray's description of Murphy is seemingly the opposite of what Cardinals fans would say about Marmol, which makes his third-place vote...odd, to say the least.

Why did Oli Marmol receive a third-place NL Manager of the Year vote?

The Cardinals did improve in 2024, winning 12 more games than the previous year. Marmol also had to navigate some tough waters himself, namely the declines of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. He managed a new rotation well enough, and the bullpen wasn't a complete disaster. His in-game decisions, though, left some Cards wondering if he's the right man for the job long-term...again. And, frankly, his future is still in question.

With St. Louis lacking much motivation to win at the moment, both John Mozeliak and Marmol could be sitting ducks for the next regime in 2025. That is fine for Mozeliak, who would likely be reassigned within the organization. For Marmol, it means finding a new home elsewhere.

No random third-place NL Manager of the Year vote will save Marmol, who's had a nice run in St. Louis but will ultimately fall short of an extension barring an unexpected 2025 run with a lacking roster.