The St. Louis Cardinals have been soaring high in 2025 under fourth-year manager Oli Marmol. Despite a three-game losing streak, the team remains second in the NL Central and has a better-than-expected 36-31 record. Given the Cardinals’ impressive accomplishment this season, it’s reasonable to suppose that many rival players regard Marmol favorably. But, according to an article in The Athletic, this may not be the case.
In the article, authored by Dennis Lin, players from throughout the league were polled to choose which manager, other than their own, they would not want to play under. Marmol tied for first place, with 5 of 40 participants selecting the Cardinals’ manager.
Marmol appears to be viewed in a negative light around the league.
Marmol was in dismal company, since the only manager with five votes was the recently fired Bud Black, who was in charge of the historically bad Colorado Rockies before being fired after 40 games, when the Rockies were 7-33. More surprising was the participation of former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, who now manages the San Diego Padres and was tied for second place with four votes.
Respondents were understandably cautious to criticize other managers in the league, even with the offer of anonymity. The Athletic provided Marmol with a player opinion from within the division that did not specifically criticize the Cardinals’ manager.
“I don’t know very many managers. I’m trying to think of someone in our division just to say something. Who is the Cardinals’ guy? … Yeah. “Just put him down.”
Anonymous player
Aside from divisional rivalries, one concern about Marmol’s prominent presence in the poll is that players talk to one another, and if any Cardinals are dissatisfied with Marmol, they may leak their frustrations to players on other teams, potentially discouraging them from considering St. Louis as a future playing destination.
Some of the voters could be motivated by the Cardinals’ collapse in 2023 and the subsequent turmoil. The team jerked Willson Contreras around while throwing him under the bus several times, and Marmol’s public callout of Tyler O’Neill after the outfielder appeared to give less effort on his scamper to the plate drew attention from several members of the media — and likely opposing players.
Marmol received a two-year contract extension prior to the 2024 season that will ostensibly keep him in the manager’s chair until 2026, but with Chaim Bloom preparing to take full control of the team next season, it’s possible that he will clean house and bring in a manager with whom he is more comfortable. An anonymous poll is unlikely to influence his choice to maintain or fire Marmol, but if he does decide to move in a different route, it could be a beneficial decision in luring future free players to the organization if the Cardinals hire a less controversial manager.
Marmol received a two-year contract extension prior to the 2024 season that will ostensibly keep him in the manager’s chair until 2026, but with Chaim Bloom preparing to take full control of the team next season, it’s possible that he will clean house and bring in a manager with whom he is more comfortable. An anonymous poll is unlikely to influence his choice to maintain or fire Marmol, but if he does decide to move in a different route, it could be a beneficial decision in luring future free players to the organization if the Cardinals hire a less controversial manager.