The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the more active teams in the league over the past few months as they began their rebuild. They’ve avoided adding big contracts in free agency while also trading away some of their best players in an attempt to bring in prospects.
This offseason, the Cardinals made four big trades to note. They sent Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox in a pair of deals. Soon after, they traded Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks before sending Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners in a blockbuster deal.
As a whole, the Cardinals got better for the future.
Oli Marmol’s extension was the right move by the Cardinals
Feb 22, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) looks on from inside the dugout against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesWith spring training in full swing, the Cardinals made another move to commit to their future. They opted to sign manager Oliver Marmol to a two-year contract extension with a club option for 2029. This deal could come as a shock to some, especially considering there were a lot of fans who gave up on Marmol a few years ago.
Either way, president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom fully believes that Marmol is the right guy to lead the team.
“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,” Bloom said about Marmol’s extension, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “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 has been the manager in St. Louis for four years and he’s had his fair share of ups and downs. The team he’s been given hasn’t exactly been the best, so it’s hard to blame him for the team missing the postseason more often than not.
He’s a natural leader with the respect of the clubhouse. The young guys have already seemed to buy in to his ideas. There’s no better person to lead the youth movement in St. Louis than the Cardinals manager.
