The St. Louis Cardinals have had a difficult season. They are 61-62 and 17 games back in the National League Central after a 4-3 loss on Friday night to the New York Yankees. They are only 3 1/2 back in the Wild Card race, but hopes of reaching the postseason are remote. They were sellers at the trade deadline, sending rental relievers Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz to contending ballclubs.

The Cardinals now seem to have fully committed to a rebuild, which will be headed up by Chaim Bloom when he takes over for John Mozeliak following the 2025 season. Criticism of the team and organization is certainly fair, but there have been some good things to come out of 2025.

Miranda Remaklus of Redbird Rants listed five harsh truths for Cardinals fans, and one of them was that manager Oli Marmol has actually done a very fine job this season.

Cardinals Skipper Deserves Praise Despite 2025 Struggles

“I know this is hard for some fans. Believe me. Considering a system-wide change toward player development and more coaches around the team, Marmol has taken all of the input from the coaching staff and improved his approach. He’s even a little bit better at communication,” Remaklus writes.

“Marmol does seem to have a good rapport with his coaching staff, and his players seem to appreciate him and all he does. It will be interesting to see if Marmol will remain with the Cardinals when Bloom takes over. It seems likely that he will, as Marmol is playing the hand he’s been dealt and he’s making the best of it. How he handles a team with Bloom will be the key.”

While criticism of the front office is fair, it’s also important to realize that Marmol has done a fine job with the hand he has been dealt. He has certainly improved as a manager, and it’s clear that everybody in the organization has his back.

Sometimes, a manager can only do so much. Marmol was even an early favorite to win NL Manager of the Year when the Cardinals had a nine-game winning streak in the month of May. Perhaps he will still get some consideration at the end of 2025

But it seems likely that he will remain in the dugout for St. Louis in 2026 and potentially even receive an extension.