It's no secret that the St. Louis Cardinals' current focus is to its future rather than its present.

The Cardinals made the decision last year to trade away several of their most notable veterans, including catcher/first baseman Willson Contreras, All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan, closer Ryan Helsley and third baseman Nolan Arenado.

Those trades are likely the first of a series of them for St. Louis as it looks to continue to add and build assets for the future.

The Cardinals made the decision to make sure current manager Oli Marmol will over see the roster at the major league roster for the foreseeable future.

St. Louis agreed to a two-year contract extension with Marmol that will extend through the 2028 season with a club option for 2029.

The deal was universally praised by reporters and analysts as a smart move for the Cardinals and for Marmol, who will enter his fifth season as the team's skipper this year.

Some analysts, such as Jim Bowden, predicted Marmol and St. Louis will be tied at the hip for several more years to come.

Based on the praise Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom recently gave Marmol on the Foul Territory podcast, it seems like Bowden's prediction has a good chance at coming to pass.

"It's been great to work with Oli," Bloom said on the podcast. "You want to feel like you're on the same page. What we're working on, it's difficult. This game is hard. Everybody's competing, zero-sum game, one trophy a year. You want to feel like your organization is on the same page, that we understand where we are, where we're trying to go, how we're gonna get there. That, I have felt from day one. ... (Oli) is a secure person who is looking to get better always and looking for people to challenge him on that. That's the type of person I enjoy working with."

Marmol has been with St. Louis for nearly a decade. He served as the team's first base and bench coach from 2017-21 before he was promoted to manager in 2022.

Marmol was the Cardinals' skipper for their last playoff berth in '22. In four seasons as manager, he's posted a 325-323 overall record.

It's a massive sign of confidence from Bloom and the rest of the front office to trust Marmol to oversee the team's rebuild.

Marmol has experience as a coach during competitive years for the franchise and has managed veteran players in the clubhouse. Keeping Marmol could very well end up a beneficial union that helps the team's rebuild go smoothly.

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