Could 2027 be a prove-it year for Cardinals manager Oli Marmol?

The St. Louis Cardinals just had a season better than most expected. They won 77 games, produced countless memories for fans, and look a year ahead of schedule. Still, the question remains: Is Oliver Marmol the right manager for this team? 

In Marmol’s career, he has a 402-408 record. It’s been five years of losing in the Lou, and it’s hard not to rhyme it with “Oli.” 

Then again, Cardinal fans may have succumbed to some recency bias, as both Joe Torre and Ken Boyer finished with losing records as the Cardinals skipper. Were they great at the helm? No, but they weren’t awful either. 

Still, the Redbirds are approaching unfamiliar terrain. If the team misses the playoffs again in 2027, it’ll be five straight seasons without playoff baseball. 

Oli Marmol is under pressure to see Cardinals improve in 2027

St. Louis was designed for October baseball, and at some point, talent becomes moot, and you have to shake things up. 

For example, the New York Yankees have been stuck between World Series rings and the Wild Card round since they last won in 2009. 

Due to their lack of postseason success, fans have called for the firing of long-time manager and former player Aaron Boone. 

Boone has a 790-675 record as the Yankees' manager, much better than Marmol’s mark. Even so, he’s under New York heat like a busy bodega line in July.  

The Bronx is notoriously bad at losing—a respectable standard, but sometimes it goes too far. 

However, Cardinals fans may learn something from these Yanks. 

The Yankees just announced that Boone will come back on a one-year deal. He’s managing for his job, and everyone knows it. 

Should Marmol fall in the same bucket? 

St. Louis may have its manager in a position where he’ll prove his worth. The 2027 club is lining up like a precursor to the shots at perennial contention taken in 2028/2029. 

If Marmol can’t keep his squad moving forward and the Redbirds take two steps back, it might be time to swap. 

To the dismay of many Cardinal fans, ex-POBO John Mozeliak is hunting a new manager for the Angels, and Albert Pujols’ name has been swirling in rumors. 

If number five went to LA again rather than St. Louis, it’d be almost a poetic tragedy. Then again, the Cardinals are still a ways off from competing, and going in for your World Series manager now might be jumping the gun. 

Marmol has managed mediocre talent during his tenure, but still needs to be held to a standard. If the Cardinals don’t get a vibe that he’s moving the needle, it’d be best to reset early before competition sneaks up on the baby birds. 

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