Oliver Marmol calls out John Mozeliak without saying his name in new Cardinals rant

Though John Mozeliak is in his final year leading the St. Louis Cardinals organization, manager Oliver Marmol is coaching for his job, and so I don't think he takes too kindly to poor decision-making by the Cardinals brass that may hinder his own job security.

For the third straight year, the Cardinals are seemingly falling apart during the month of April, and once again, Mozeliak's roster construction seems to be at the heart of that. In 2023, the Cardinals' rotation was an absolute mess, and it caused the team to spiral out of control. In 2024, the offense was lifeless, once again putting the club behind the eight ball and digging a hole for themselves that was too deep to overcome. To start 2025, it is the Cardinals' bullpen that can't keep them in the win column.

Following Ryan Fernandez's latest blow up outing, Marmol was candid with reporters about the bullpen options he currently has, and while others seem to believe this quote is an indictment on Marmol, it seems clear to me that it's a direct critique of his boss, Mozeliak.

"“This is who we’ve got, and we’ve got to get them back on track. ... There’s nothing coming from down below where it’s going to change what is going on up here. We need to improve these players, and the only way to do that is for them to pitch. We’re going to keep going with them. We have to continue to get on the other side of this.”"

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol

Oliver Marmol seemingly calls out John Mozeliak for poor roster construction in latest post-game interview

All offseason, the Cardinals sat on their hands and refused to upgrade their roster. While it seemed like they would end up selling off key pieces in an effort to rebuild, they failed to pull that off. Their tune quickly changed from a "reset" mentality to a "transition year", where young talent would have every opportunity to perform and the club would try to win games along the way.

I've already been very clear about how I think they squandered that opportunity with how they handled their rotation, but now Marmol is feeling the ramifications of those mistakes by Mozeliak with how he failed to upgrade the Cardinals' bullpen. In 2024, that bullpen was a true strength of the team, but it showed its cracks throughout the second half of the season. Rather than fortifying that unit to help them actually close out those wins that the lineup and rotation set up for them, Mozeliak waited until the very last moment to sign Phil Maton, who has been a godsend for the team.

While some see Marmol's comments as disrespectful toward his players, I see it as him lamenting how Mozeliak has built this roster. Sure, in a transition year, opportunites should be there for young talent, but when it comes to a bullpen, that is a totally different conversation. If the club really wants to win games, bringing in low-cost veteran options to shore up that group was a must, but they refused to do so.

Not only would it have helped them win more games, but it also could have presented them with pieces at the deadline to sell if the team was struggling. Maton, for example, will be a sought-after trade candidate if he continues his great performances, and the Cardinals could have more guys like Maton in their bullpen had they taken advantage of the opportunities.

But alas, Mozeliak did not, and now Marmol is struggling to find a way to close out leads with the lack of options at his disposal. The club finally optioned Fernandez to Memphis today in favor of Riley O'Brien, but their bullpen issues go much deeper than just demoting Fernandez.

Marmol has not been perfect in how he manages that group, but if you're frustrated at how the Cardinals' bullpen has performed this year, focus your attention on Mozeliak, not Marmol.