"Last year wasn’t good enough" - Cardinals manager Oli Marmol intends to leave shortcomings behind ahead of 2024 season

Despite being the youngest manager in the league last season, Oli Marmol's St. Louis Cardinals had their worst season in a long time. After finishing in the NL Central's last place for the first time since 1990, the 37-year old has come under intense fire.

In a recent piece for The Athletic, writer Katie Woo picked Marmol's brain about the 2023 season. Although the team has already announced that Marmol will return as manager in 2024, the Cardinals manager shouldered the blame for last season's performance, bluntly claiming that "last year wasn't good enough."

"John Mozeliak confirms that Oli Marmol will return as manager in 2024. Even after this being one of the worst full-seasons by a manager in the last 100+ years for the St. Louis Cardinals. #STLCards" - That's A Winner Podcast

A former St. Louis Cardinals draft pick himself, Oli Marmol spent four years in the organization, but never ascended to the big leagues. The Florida native was hired as the team's manager in 2021, after Mike Shildt parted ways with the team.

In his first season with the team, 2022, Marmol managed the Cardinals to a 93-69 record in 2022. However, the team's season came to an abrupt, and rather unexpected end at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series.

For Cards GM Mike Girsch, the 2023-2024 offseason has been a busy one. With a starter ERA of 5.07 last year, the Cards ranked 26th out of 30 teams in the category. After waving goodbye to veteran Adam Wainwright, Girsch made it a mission to find some high-quality replacement starters.

"Oli Marmol drew the strike zone in the dirt so the Umpire can see it. That'll rile the boys up. @Starting9" - Barstool Sports

At first, Girsch signed two aged pitchers in Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, which drew criticism after each had dissapointing 2023 seasons, and are considered to be past his prime. This backlash inspired the team to ink Sonny Gray to a three-year, $75 million deal. As a member of the Minnesota Twins last year, Gray went 8-8, posting a 2.79 ERA across 184 innings to finish second in AL Cy Young voting.

Oli Marmol knows that his division is only getting more competitive

Gone are the days when the other teams in the NL Central could not compete with the Cardinals. Both the Reds and Cubs overcame expectations in 2023, and are seen as up-and-coming clubs. Moreover, the Brewers remains an ever-present threat, and the Pirates are only getting better. For Oli Marmol, the results will need to match the talk.