Cards extend manager Marmol through 2028 with '29 option
The Cardinals and manager Oliver Marmol have agreed to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2028 season and includes a club option for 2029, the team announced on Sunday.
Marmol, 39, was entering the final year of the contract extension he signed in March 2024. He has been St. Louis' manager since 2022, compiling a 325-323 record, ranked 11th on the franchise’s all-time managerial wins list. He's currently the third-longest-tenured manager in the National League with the same team behind only the Dodgers' Dave Roberts and the Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo.
“As I’ve gotten to know Oli, I’ve seen someone who cares about this organization and knows what has made the Cardinals special over time – and who understands that for us to get where we need to go, we must compete relentlessly to set new standards in everything that we do,” stated Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. “He is invested in the progress of our young core and is unafraid to challenge himself and to help those around him grow. I am energized to continue working with him towards the on-field success that we expect and that our fans deserve.”
In his first season at the helm in 2022, Oli led the club to a National League Central title with a Cardinals team that won 93 games. It was the team’s first division title since 2019, and at age 36, Marmol became the youngest manager to lead his team to the postseason since 1948 when Lou Boudreau led Cleveland to a World Series title at age 31.
Marmol has been a member of the Cardinals organization since 2007, first as a player, and then as a coach and manager at the minor league level. He was named to the Cardinals Major League coaching staff in 2017 after managing for five seasons (2012-16) in the Minors, and he was named the 51st manager in Cardinals franchise history on Oct. 25, 2021.
Oli was recognized by the St. Louis Chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) as their “Good Guy” award recipient in 2015, and for Outstanding Achievement in 2022 when he finished 4th in National League Manager of the Year voting. He was named the Cardinals organization’s recipient of the prestigious George Kissell Award in 2013 for excellence in player development.
After going 78-84 in 2025, the Cardinals are entering a rebuilding year following an offseason that saw veterans Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray and Brendan Donovan traded for prospects.