Former Manager of the Year would be a great addition to Cardinals' coaching staff

The Miami Marlins have voided former National League Manager of the Year Skip Schumaker's club option for the 2025 season, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Schumaker, 44, is in his second year as manager of the Marlins.

After leading the Marlins to an 84-78 record in 2023 and a playoff berth for the first time since 2020, Miami is off to a rough start in 2024 with a 1-9 record. A large portion of their starting rotation is injured including ace Sandy Alcantara, phenom Eury Perez, and Edward Cabrera. Alcantara and Perez will be out for the entire year.

In addition to the pitching woes, Schumaker has worked under an ownership group that has been unwilling to spend money in free agency. Due to Bruce Sherman's frugality, the Marlins have been hampered when it comes to free agency. To add more insult to injury on Skip's sophomore season as a manager, his contract for 2025 has now been terminated.

Schumaker is a former player and bench coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. In total, he has spent 12 years in the organization, 11 as a player and 1 as a coach. Pairing Schumaker's successful 2023 campaign with Marmol's tenuous leadership in the same year allowed fans to clamor for a change at the helm in St. Louis.

With Schumaker now essentially a free agent, those cries will only be amplified. Despite a 1-9 start to the season this year, the consensus among baseball executives and coaches is that Schumaker remains a strong field manager.

Skip has been lauded for his hard work, thoughtfulness, professionalism, and understanding the fundamentals of the game; this season's success, or lack thereof will not be a stain on the former player's resume. He is battling against odds that were stacked against him soon after the final pitch of the World Series last year.

Oliver Marmol received a contract extension that would take him through the 2026 season. This contract extension does not lock the Cardinals into the length of it, but it does provide some comfort for the young manager. If Marmol continues to struggle, the Cardinals may have a vacancy sign planted at Busch Stadium soon.

If Marmol remains at the helm for 2025, then Skip Schumaker could come on as an advisor in the front office or back on the field in a coaching role of some capacity. Regardless, the John Mozeliak and the DeWitt family should strongly consider bringing back a legacy player and former coach to strengthen the coaching staff next season.