JUPITER, Fla. — No, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol did not celebrate Friday’s contract extension by texting a taunting emoji to potential future major league managers Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.
I checked.
“You idiot,†Marmol answered.
Hey, my apologies for an attempt at humor on a day some in Cardinal Nation acted as if Fredbird was designated for assignment.
Marmol is the Cardinals manager, on paper, through 2026, thanks to a two-year extension announced Friday morning in camp.
Why?
One, because team chairman Bill Dewitt Jr. likes the manager who spent his career climbing the team’s ranks, believes in Marmol’s baseball mind and values continuity in and around his team, when he doesn’t feel there is a glaring reason to disrupt it.
People are also reading…
And two, because front office and ownership read signs other than social media.
DeWitt and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak shared a growing interest and perhaps an increasing need to change what had been a wait-and-see stance on Marmol into a he’s-our-guy message. The goal was to continue to unify an organization eager to flush out as much negativity as possible from last season’s last-place disaster before a fresh regular season begins.
“We believe in each other,†Mozeliak said.
That wasn’t the only reason.
Cardinals leaders saw the reality that a team they now feel pretty good about could need to survive some significant early season turbulence, like potentially being down two of three starting outfielders and new No. 1 pitcher Sonny Gray when the season starts in Los Angeles against the powerhouse Dodgers. Now check the schedule after that. It’s a gantlet of teams that made the last postseason.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,†Marmol said recently.
Now he can say it without fingers crossed behind his back.
Desperation mode in March rarely is ideal. For a team with a manager hearing the ticking clock of an expiring contract, every loss can start to feel like two. Especially if the players like the manager, like these Cardinals players do. And especially when not one but two all-time team icons, recently retired, have made it quite public they aim to one day manage in the majors.
This news can, to a degree, make the Cardinals a little steadier in a storm that could be more likely now than it was at Winter Warm-Up, when there was more of a wait-and-see feel to Marmol’s status.
Whether you think Marmol will ultimately become the greatest Cardinals manager since Tony La Russa, or just the latest one the Teflon-wearing baseball bosses here churn through, it was made clear Friday that the image the Cardinals want to project right now is one of ownership, front office, coaches and players all standing together as one, like members of all parties quite literally did at Friday’s announcement.
“I value what Mr. DeWitt led with,†Marmol told me later. “There’s continuity. And there’s performance. He mentioned both, because both are very important. If there’s reason for change, then change will be made. Their vote of confidence of, that’s not the case right now — that we have confidence in your ability to lead that clubhouse, coming from him and Mo, man, it hit home. It was meaningful. It was good to hear it.â€
Cardinals continuity, lately, has been mostly reserved for legendary players and front office members. Heck, former manager Mike Shildt went from being on the cusp of securing a contract extension to falling out of front-office favor so far and so fast he got fired instead.
So, yes, a cynic can say the only thing Marmol may have secured Friday is more money if he gets fired before this extension concludes, and maybe that cynic becomes correct. We’ll see. If nothing else, Marmol earned some hazard pay for having to manage that 2023 pitching staff. Sorry, but not even some fans’ beloved Skip Schumaker would have won much with that crew.
But I also think Friday’s news, which was finalized Thursday, had something to do with the version of Marmol the Cardinals observed during the final chapters and even aftermath of that 91-loss disaster.
They saw self-reflection and shouldering of blame. They saw dogged determination to reclaim a style of play fans take pride in watching, and relationships repaired that needed some mending. They saw Marmol refuse to spin out in job speculation distractions. He went out and added perceived potential threat Daniel Descalso to his dugout and tried to get Molina in there as a coach, too, before a part-time front office role was determined to be a better use of the former catcher’s limited time. Molina, for those keeping score at home, hasn’t yet been to Cardinals camp. Maybe the Cardinals weren’t in spin-zone mode when they suggested his availability isn’t quite ready for full-time commitment.
“I love both of those guys,†Marmol, 37, said about Pujols and Molina. “They have both been unbelievable to me. I have learned a ton from both of them. Both of those guys allowed me to lead a veteran clubhouse. I observed them, asked them questions and it helped me grow. I’ve got nothing but respect for AP and Yadi. I have no doubts that if that’s what they decide to do, they’re going to excel at it.â€
Marmol knows what this extension means and he knows what is never guaranteed in his role. Managers can get fired one season into an extended deal just like they can get fired during an expiring one. He also knows what brings a team together, truly, is the same thing that unites fans around a manager for good. Winning. A lot. Like his 93-win first season. Even better, in the postseason.
“I want to be able to step foot in St. Louis and know that I’ve done it well, and for fans to feel like it’s been done well,†Marmol said. “The extension is great, to put that behind us and know, hey, we are on the same page and committed to doing this together. But from the motivation of leading well and winning games, it doesn’t change my mindset one bit. I’m not happy with last year and I’m highly motivated to change that.â€