Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol walks back to the dugout after a pitching change against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Chaim Bloom Confirms Cardinals Will Retain Skipper For 2026

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 9:00 PM ET

On Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals introduced Chaim Bloom as their new president of baseball operations. He takes over for John Mozeliak, who had been in charge since the end of the 2007 season. St. Louis won just 78 games during the regular season and missed the playoffs for the third straight year. They are set to rebuild under Bloom and take a vastly different approach than years past.

One question that had yet to be answered was the status of manager Oli Marmol. There was some speculation that Bloom may want to hire his own manager for 2026 and beyond.

However, Frank Cusumano of KSDK reported that Bloom intends to keep Marmol at the helm for at least one more season.

Chaim Bloom To Keep Oli Marmol As Cardinals Manager

Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

"Marmol’s job status was in question due to the Cardinals’ front office change. It was unclear if Bloom would prefer to hire his own manager. However, over the course of the season, it became apparent that no managerial change would be made," Katie Woo wrote in The Athletic.

"St. Louis outperformed projections and wasn’t mathematically eliminated until the final series of the regular season, despite adding just one free agent in the offseason and selling at the trade deadline."

Ultimately, Marmol isn't to blame for why the Cardinals missed the postseason. St. Louis had a very quiet offseason leading up to 2025, which meant Marmol didn't have a lot to work with this season. However, he did well with what he had at his disposal.

The Cardinals are of course rebuilding, and Marmol is already familiar with the current Cardinals core and has helped develop certain players. If the Cardinals aren't going to contend in 2026, then it ultimately wouldn't make sense to make a managerial change, despite several options being available.

Cardinals legends Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina both want to manage. Former Cardinal Skip Schumaker is available, and the San Francisco Giants fired Bob Melvin. However, Bloom has chosen to keep Marmol, and it is ultimately the right move for the 2026 team.

Marmol led the Cardinals to a 93-win season in 2022 and helped them win their most recent National League Central title. Since then, the Cardinals have finished under .500 twice.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Bloom goes about constructing the roster Marmol will have at his disposal in 2026.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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