Cardinals manager wants to show growth and leadership in 2025

The 28th Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up ended with key interviews with St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol and ownership on Monday. While the current offseason has not gone according to plan to this point, Marmol still believes that the team he will be tasked to lead this season will be able to compete.

For additional coverage of the Winter Warm-Up, check out the Dealin the Cards YouTube channel with site expert Josh Jacobs and contributors Andrew Wang and Sandy McMillan.

What did Marmol have to say about the current roster and expectations for the 2025 season?

Unfortunately for all parties involved with the 2025 St. Louis Cardinals, the team has been unable to stay focused on a clear direction at this point in January. The initial thoughts were that Nolan Arenado would be shipped off by now and the Cardinals would have made additional transactions from their rotation depth. However, DeWitt and Mozeliak both mentioned that things have not gone according to plan and may have to adjust their thinking up through Spring Training. One thought that has not changed is that current manager Oli Marmol will be at the helm in 2025 as the Cardinals try to fight their way back into NL Central relevance after back-to-back disappointing seasons.

This will be no easy task as Marmol saw potential future Hall of Famer Paul Goldschmidt sign with the New York Yankees, go-to reliever Andrew Kittredge head to Baltimore, and veteran pitchers Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn have their options declined. He also most likely anticipated a different infield without Arenado and Willson Contreras moving from behind the plate to first base. Even though fans of the team seem to either love or loathe Oli, the fourth-year manager enters 2025 with a winning record and the support of the higher ups.

Marmol will be asked to navigate a decreased payroll and an increased number of unproven players that will be expected to make a major jump at the big-league level. This is something he is familiar with, spending his professional coaching career at the minor league level from 2011 until his major league call-up in 2017 when he was promoted to first coach. Not only does Marmol have the player development experience needed for this year's team, but he is also excited for the challenge and has the support of some key members of the team.

The 38-year-old, along with the help of his coaching staff, are ready for the opportunity to take their player development abilities to the big league level. Marmol said of his staff, "These are guys that love developing players... And that’s what a lot of this year is going to be like — developing players at the highest level". Besides typical coaching responsibilities like mechanical tweaks and suggestions, Marmol is also stressing the importance of patience with the young players. When asked about the type of opportunities these players will receive, Marmol cited that extended playing time can help to answer additional questions the staff may have. The team has already been adamant that key beneficiaries of this thinking will be Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker, who may be looking at 2025 as their major chance to show their potential.

Another aspect that was missing from the 2024 season was finding the proper balance between tough love and player-first behavior. Future of the franchise Masyn Winn feels that Marmol is the right person to push the young clubhouse to reach the next level. The shortstop said, “He’s not afraid to tell you what you don’t want to hear, but at the same time, he gives you praise. To be able to have that relationship with your manager is great. I mean, he’s great for the young guys, listens to what they have to say." With a lineup that has the potential of having seven everyday players under the age of 27, there are sure to be some growing pains throughout the season.

The 2025 season may be the most challenging of Marmol's Cardinal tenure so far, but with resources being allocated towards player development and his staff ready to work, the organization's reset should hopefully be quick. The manager is going into the season with high expectations of his players and they sound eager to make good on their promise for a competitive campaign.