According to a recent report from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Cardinals have opened up contract extension talks with manager Oli Marmol.

Marmol has been with the Cardinals since the 2022 season, winning one division championship and missing the playoffs for the other three seasons. The Cardinals have had back-to-back losing campaigns.

Marmol is headed into the final year of his contract, but given the lack of recent success, why would they extend him?

Why the extension makes sense

First and foremost, Marmol is heading into the final year of his contract, as stated above. While some players can perform great in contract years, managers typically aren't forced to be in that position. If the organization wants to get the best from Marmol in terms of on-field performance and player development, then it makes sense to give him a little security.

If they choose to move on from him during the life of his next contract, then so be it, but giving him that security is a way to ensure he's comfortable in 2026, which the organization needs. That's typical for managers.

Furthermore, given that Marmol is well-liked in the clubhouse and knows the organization at every level, it makes sense to keep him around as the Cardinals embark on their rebuild. There's really no point in trying to bring in a "better" manager while the team isn't expected to compete, especially when it comes at the sacrifice of someone who knows the organization like Marmol does.

Why not Pujols or Yadi? 

Both former legends have expressed interest in being major league managers, and Pujols interviewed for the San Diego Padres job this offseason. Some fans would undoubtedly like to see them back in a Cardinals dugout, but hiring them now, or at the end of 2026 (if they just let Marmol's contract expire), doesn't make a lot of sense.

First, the Cardinals wouldn't want to put either of them in a position where they couldn't win, and that looks like it will be the case through this rebuild.

Secondly, Chaim Bloom saw first-hand what it was like in Boston to have a manager that had higher standing in the organization than he did. Would he want to put himself in that position again? Because that would be the case if two (eventual) franchise Hall of Famers are in the fold.

What's next

The baseball world will reconvene on Dec. 7 for the winter meetings in Orlando. 

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