The Oliver Marmol extension is the epitome of an out-of-touch front office

Well, fans were greeted with quite the surprise heading into the weekend. The Cardinals were announcing a press conference on short notice with no speculation about what it could be for. Will it be the awaited Paul Goldschmidt extension? Is Jordan Walker the next prospect getting a long-term contract? Are the Cardinals taking the next step to returning to October by signing Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery?

None of those things happened. Instead, the Cardinals announced they were extending Oliver Marmol for another two seasons.

Fans are heated, as they should be. What professional entity offers guaranteed employment after having one of the worst-performing years in its history? The answer would be none with any job as the bottom dollar always speaks. But with the Cardinals, their bottom dollar is always met with 3.3 million fans showing up to Busch Stadium every year, no matter the season outcome. The front office valued confidence in their own decision-making versus yet again failing to admit to their failures and facing the music themselves.

"There was never any doubt in my mind that he wasn’t going to continue being the Cardinals manager,” “But coming off the year we just experienced, I think a lot of people would have been happy if we were both gone." stated by John Mozeliak to Katie Woo of The Athletic (subscription required). What Mozeliak has done is give up leverage to put pressure on the staff managing the clubhouse.

With leadership being an issue within the players, managers need to step up and guide their clubhouse. 2023 showed that no one could figure anything out which is a major red flag for anyone trying to lead the team. The players voiced their concerns and believed bringing in veteran players would fix the issue. But with the extension of Marmol, he is no longer being tested for his ability to guide this team when it needs it most.

Fans who are angry and want Oliver Marmol fired, you are directing your anger in the wrong direction. He has the respect of the players and the current vibe in spring training seems to be good from what we can see. Where the mishaps are taking place is with the front office getting no consequences for their actions. We continue to see decisions falling flat on their face and the fanbase wanting answers for what transpired.

Instead, we get vagueness and no stern changes from the DeWitts. if the 2024 season collapses like what we witnessed with 2023, do not get angry at all towards the players, coaching staff, or Oliver Marmol. The front office believes they have built a contending team, and believe they have the right man to manage this team. They are solely responsible for the end result of the 2024 season.