Officially, the manager of the Dream Cardinals has more hardware than Oli Marmol would ever have.
For at least another season, Oli Marmol will continue to manage the St. Louis Cardinals. However, as a result of one of baseball’s most legendary teams missing the postseason for two consecutive years, his seat has become quite heated. Additionally, in the midst of a “reset” that no one can seem to define, the team’s front office is intentionally refusing to hire talent this winter.
expected to get worse before they get better — and may result in Marmol losing his position in a few months, particularly since longtime supporter John Mozeliak is leaving.
The Mozeliak period is coming to an end, and when it does, Marmol will have to convince a completely new group of executives that he should be retained, even if they don’t have any success history to support their decision. Given that his possible replacement is occupied with winning trophies, that should make him extremely anxious before spring training.
Albert Pujols adds LIDOM championship to Cardinals manager resume
Fans in St. Louis have always seen Albert Pujols as a dream hire. Throughout his playing career, he was one of the most intelligent hitters in the game, and he has frequently stated that he hopes to manage in the Major Leagues someday. And if his initial trial run is any indicator, that day could arrive sooner than most people anticipated.
This offseason in the Dominican Winter League, Pujols made his managerial debut by taking charge of longstanding power Leones del Escogido. The three-time MVP also guided his side to a championship in his first season as manager, when Leones defeated rival Tigres del Licey with to Junior Caminero’s game-winning home run in the ninth inning of Game 7.
Of all, a single Dominican League season does not prove Pujols’ ability to succeed in the Major Leagues on a regular basis. However, it’s a really good test run that Cardinals executives, including Bloom, were undoubtedly watching. Marmol won’t have the resources necessary to turn the ship around in St. Louis unless there is a miracle turnaround over the course of the next few weeks. If he is unable to, the team may have a simple substitute in place.
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