Chaim Bloom made the right decision keeping Oli Marmol. Here's why

It's been over a week since the Cardinals officially introduced Chaim Bloom as their new president of baseball operations. In that press conference, he laid out his plan and explained how he was going to execute it. For Cardinals fans, it was a breath of fresh air to hear transparency from the front office. It was time for a new face at the helm of baseball operations, and everybody is looking forward to seeing how Bloom implements his plan and the way he goes about getting the Cardinals back to where they once were.

After the press conference, Bloom made his first major decision, which actually upset quite a few fans. He told Frank Cusumano of KSDK that he was going to keep Oli Marmol as the team's manager for 2026.

This caused a bit of a mess on Twitter and in comments sections all across social media. However, there were also some that were okay with this. I was one of them. Keeping Marmol in charge of the dugout is the right decision, and I'll explain why.

Why keeping Oli Marmol for 2026 is the right decision

I understand that this won't be a very popular take, and I'm okay with people disagreeing with it. But I truly do believe it was the right call. For starters, he has one year left on his contract. Is it really a good idea to fire a manager with one year left on his deal, hire another one, and have to pay them both?

Secondly, the Cardinals aren't looking to contend in 2026. They're set to rebuild for the first time in forever. Does it make sense to fire the manager that has been in charge for several years now and knows so many of the players well and has a great relationship with them? No, it doesn't.

It's really important to remember one thing in particular: Marmol is not the reason the Cardinals don't have a good roster. While I believe a good manager can make a big difference, there's also not much a guy can do when he isn't given much to work with. The fact that the Cardinals got so hot in the month of may and were nine games above .500 in June proves that Marmol is capable of working with what he's got.

For a time, he was getting the most out of what was by all accounts a bad roster. The fact that it didn't last isn't his fault. In fact, a 78-84 finish is about what I expected from the Cardinals in 2025, and I think most fans feel the same way.

No moves were made to strengthen the roster for 2025. That can't be placed on Oli's shoulders. The fact that the Cardinals weren't way worse than 78 wins is actually a testament to Marmol, who ultimately got the most out of what few resources he had.

It's also clear that the players have a ton of respect for Marmol. He has always had their backs, is honest, and is open to criticism. He even acknowledged where he went wrong with Tyler O'Neill back in 2023. He takes accountability, and that is what you want from a manager.

While much of Mike Shildt's team was still intact in 2022, Marmol still led the Cardinals to a 93-win season and an NL Central title. Marmol worked closely with Shildt and has clearly learned a lot from him.

Now, their styles of managing are very different, but you can tell that Marmol soaked up a lot under Shildt. You also have to give Marmol credit for how he handles the bullpen. The past two years, he has been able to put guys in positions to succeed, and it has led to the bullpen being a major strength. A lot of the credit goes to Dusty Blake as well, but Marmol is the one that makes the decisions in ballgames, and while he makes mistakes from time to time, just like every manager, he is usually pretty good about how he handles the pitching staff.

2026 is going to be another long year for the Cardinals, but don't be surprised if Bloom decides to give Marmol a contract extension soon.