Cardinals sign manager Oliver Marmol to 2-year extension with 2029 club option

The St. Louis Cardinals signed manager Oliver Marmol to a two-year contract extension, the team announced on Sunday. The deal includes a club option for 2029. 

Marmol, 39, is going into his fifth season as Cardinals manager, named after Mike Shildt was fired following the 2021 campaign. During his four years in the dugout, St. Louis has compiled a 325-323 record. 

St. Louis won the NL Central with a 93-69 record in Marmol's first season, finishing seven games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals went on to be swept in the National League wild-card series, 2-0, by the eventual league champion Philadelphia Phillies. 

Since then, the Cardinals have been less successful under Marmol while the team attempts to reduce payroll and undergo a rebuild, something to which the team and its fans are not accustomed. St. Louis finished last in the NL Central in Marmol's second season and rebounded to a second-place finish in 2024. 

However, the Cardinals placed fourth last season with a 78-84 record and traded veterans Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan during the offseason. 

Between the team emphasizing younger players and Chaim Bloom taking over for John Mozeliak (who hired Marmol) as president of baseball operations, Marmol's job security seemed uncertain. He was going into the final season of the two-year extension he signed in March 2024. 

However, Marmol began his coaching career as hitting coach for the Cardinals' rookie league team and worked his way up through the club's minor-league organization as a manager. He joined St. Louis' major-league staff as first-base coach in 2017, then was the team's bench coach for three seasons. 

Marmol's background in instruction and development, and his interest in working with young players, is what apparently led the Cardinals to sign him to an extension. 

"They're super excited about the moments we're going to have to truly teach and dive into the details of the game," Marmol told reporters as spring training began, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "This is a group that is extremely receptive to that. So, for those reasons I’m excited."

The Cardinals have one of baseball's top minor-league talents in shortstop JJ Wetherholt, ranked by MLB.com as the No. 5 overall prospect. Left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle and catcher Rainiel Rodriguez are also ranked among the top 50. 

St. Louis also features several players aged 25 or younger in its regular lineup, including shortstop Masyn Winn, center fielder Victor Scott II, right fielder Jordan Walker, DH Iván Herrera and infielder Nolan Gorman.