Cardinals Extend Oliver Marmol Through 2028
The Cardinals have extended manager Oliver Marmol for 2 additional seasons.
The Cardinals announced Sunday morning they have extended the contract of manager Oliver Marmol for 2 additional seasons, bringing him back until the end of the 2028 season.
I know a lot of people were disappointed, but this is actually a good think. Marmol works well with young players and has proven that he’s able to get the most out of his guys. For a team rebuilding, he’s the right guy. Plus a majority of the fanbase was against him before he managed his first game because they didn’t agree with the Mike Shildt firing (an opinion that hasn’t aged well).
The biggest complaint was “It should have been Yadier Molina.” I disagree with this.
First off, Yadi couldn’t manage to come into the dugout last season after it was announced he’d be with the team on a limited basis; “but he spent time with his son’s team”…ok, but why agree with the team to be in the dugout then not show up? It’s a bad look for a guy that wants to manage.
Secondly, Yadi has no experience outside of winter league ball in managing a team; the last time the Cardinals brought in an inexperienced manager was Mike Matheny, and we all remember that. I’m not saying Yadi won’t be good, but a little more experience before handing him a team full of kids would be preferred.
The other big complaint is the play of the team; I think Oli got the most out of the players he was given. It was the fault of the front office/ownership for building better teams. Oli wasn’t responsible for the quick decline of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. Oli didn’t give extensions to Adam Wainwright and Miles Mikolas when it was obvious they were out of gas.
Same goes with not promoting someone like Michael McGreevy in place of Mikolas; Oli didn’t construct the roster and had to use what was on the 26-man roster. He didn’t say “Let’s hold off on bringing JJ Wetherholt up until next season; Nolan is going to come around at third”; that was a front office decision (but probably the right one).
Marmol is not a perfect manager; he’s got the occasional communication issue and might stick with his guys a little too long. He’s also using Masyn Winn a little too much at lead off. Really though, no manager is perfect.
If the rebuild doesn’t go well, we can revisit this idea; in the meantime, let’s just see how it plays out.
CARDINALS MANAGER OLIVER MARMOL SIGNED THRU 2028; ‘OLI’ SET TO ENTER HIS 5th SEASON AT THE HELM FOR REDBIRDS
JUPITER, Fla., March 1, 2026 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that the team has signed Manager Oliver “Oli” Marmol to a two-year contract extension through the 2028 season. The deal also includes a club option for the 2029 season.
“As I’ve gotten to know Oli, I’ve seen someone who cares about this organization and knows what has made the Cardinals special over time – and who understands that for us to get where we need to go, we must compete relentlessly to set new standards in everything that we do,” stated Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom. “He is invested in the progress of our young core and is unafraid to challenge himself and to help those around him grow. I am energized to continue working with him towards the on-field success that we expect and that our fans deserve.”
Marmol, 39, has piloted the team over the past four seasons (2022-25) and enters 2026 ranked 11th on the franchise’s all-time managerial wins list with 325. Oli is currently the third longest tenured manager in the National League with the same team behind only the Dodgers Dave Roberts and the Diamondbacks Torey Lovullo.
In his first season at the helm in 2022, Oli led the ball club to a National League Central title with a Cardinals team that won 93 games. It was the team’s first division title since 2019, and at age 36, Marmol became the youngest manager to lead his team to the postseason since 1948 when Lou Boudreau led Cleveland to a World Series title at age 31.
Marmol has been a member of the Cardinals organization since 2007, first as a player, and then as a coach and manager at the minor league level. He was named to the Cardinals Major League coaching staff in 2017 after managing for five seasons (2012-16) in the minors. Oli was named the 51st manager in Cardinals franchise history on October 25, 2021. He has compiled a 325-323 career managerial record in his first four seasons with the Cardinals.
Oli was recognized by the St. Louis Chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) as their “Good Guy” award recipient in 2015, and for Outstanding Achievement in 2022 when he finished 4th in National League Manager of the Year voting. He was named the Cardinals organization’s recipient of the prestigious George Kissell Award in 2013 for excellence in player development.
— STL —
