Chaim Bloom may anger the Cardinals' fanbase with his first extension candidate

Chaim Bloom has been a very popular man among St. Louis Cardinals fans so far, but if this new report is a sign of things to come, then he may experience wrath from a segment of Cardinals fans for the first time.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are open to extending manager Oliver Marmol, who is going into the final year of his contract. Yes, even the new regime seems to like the job Marmol has done leading the Cardinals' clubhouse.

The Cardinals are exploring an extension with manager Oliver Marmol

It was one thing for John Mozeliak to give his stamp of approval to Marmol. Fans were never going to trust Mozeliak's judgment in the latter years of his leadership. But you would think that if the new guy likes him, fans would maybe start to view Marmol in a different light.

Well, that new guy, Bloom, retained Marmol following the 2025 season, and there seemed to be plenty of fans upset with that decision. Now that they are considering an extension, I'm sure that unrest will become even louder.

I've been open about my support of Marmol the last few years, seeing a ton of positives in his leadership and believing he continues to improve as a manager. The clubhouse seems to be bought in on him; he has a strong handle on player development, and he seems to be in lockstep with Bloom and his plan for the future. For an organization that is looking to shake a lot of things up, this is a positive example of potential continuity, and Bloom seems to agree.

Now, if you are someone who has wanted Marmol to be gone for a while, I do appeal to you to consider this. If Marmol is truly as bad a manager as some have said he is, why would Bloom, who has been given the ability to overhaul this organization in any way he pleases, decide to not only hold onto Bloom but also have interest in extending him? Bloom could have easily hired his own manager this offseason or gone after a Cardinals great like Albert Pujols or Yadier Molina, but he's sticking with Marmol and seems to like the idea of him being around long-term.

Clearly, there is a disconnect between Marmol's staunchest detractors and how those within the Cardinals organization, both the old guard and new regime, view Marmol. Time will tell who is proven to be correct on this subject, but for now, I do challenge people to give Marmol more of a chance than they have, especially considering how the new leadership seems to view him as a guy worth keeping around long-term.