ST. LOUIS -- Not only does Oliver Marmol deserve consideration for the National League Manager of the Year Award for the work he’s done while balancing the unenviable task of developing while also winning, but he also should get multiple years tacked onto his contract for keeping the Cardinals in the playoff hunt 96 games into the season. Sure, that won’t make a certain segment of Cardinals Nation excited about change coming to the front office happy, but Marmol, pitching coach Dusty Blake, new hitting coach Brant Brown and coaching newcomer Jon Jay deserve credit for making the most of what was expected by many to be a painful, rebuilding slog in 2025. The only better work done by Marmol came in 2024, when he guided a likely 70-win team -- one that was fundamentally flawed in several ways -- to 83 victories with some masterful work in handling the St. Louis bullpen. The Cardinals stuck to the plan of providing opportunities for everyday players Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Iván Herrera and Victor Scott II as well as pitchers Matthew Liberatore, Kyle Leahy, Gordon Graceffo, Riley O’Brien and Matt Svanson while continuing to maintain high standards of play and expectations of winning. Once 14-19 on May 2, the Cardinals could have gone south early on, but Marmol never wavered with the development plan and remained strident and stubborn about their demands for production. “I find, when you can [develop and win] together, that’s high-level development,” Marmol said. “If you can develop while winning, you are developing winning players.” Here is a look back at a stirring first half and what’s to come for the Cards: |
One second-half goal: Push for the playoffs while remaining flexible In a year that was supposed to be about development, the Cardinals have defied the expectations of most by playing stirring, resilient baseball. They were one of MLB’s hottest teams in May and they impressively weathered a stretch of 28 games in 29 days in June -- even as their pitching was wobbling and many of their vets were injured. If a St. Louis club out of the postseason since 2022 can get into the playoffs, it should certainly do everything in its power to get in. The Cards confidently believe that they are building something special for the future, but frittering away a playoff chance would be bad baseball karma. However, if the Cardinals fall out of the chase in the coming weeks, the organization would be wise to push their development plans into overdrive. Promote deserving right-hander Michael McGreevy and make him a fixture of the rotation. Do the same with future star JJ Wetherholt, the Cardinals' No. 1 prospect in the system who is already blistering baseballs at Triple-A Memphis.
Get four at-bats a day for Walker and Gorman and break Herrera in at his new position in the outfield. Those players are not only the Cardinals’ future; they are also their present and there's no time like the present to fast-track the development. |
Likely Trade Deadline strategy: Deal expiring contracts and veterans for prospects Departing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has said repeatedly that the club’s course of action at the Deadline -- becoming buyers, sellers or even both -- will be determined by where the club sits in the standings in late July. A season-best nine games above .500 (47-38) on June 29, the Cardinals saw their grip on the NL’s third Wild Card slip with a disappointing 4-8 stretch before the break. The club opens after the break with six road games against the D-backs and Rockies before coming home to host the Padres for a critical four-game series from July 24-27. Do well in that series and Marmol’s Cards might be able to pass Mike Shildt’s Padres, who hold the No. 3 Wild Card and are 1 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis. Get beaten up by the Pads, and the Cards could gut their roster over the final days of July. Relievers Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz are the players most likely to be traded because of their expiring contracts and MLB’s dearth of quality relievers. Helsley, the longest-tenured Cardinal since 2015, would like to stay and sign a contract extension, but he has the most value because of his two-time All-Star pedigree. Will the Cardinals also revisit potentially dealing Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Miles Mikolas to contenders for prospects? All four have no-trade clauses in their contracts and have shown a reluctance to leaving the Cards, but the rigors of rebuilding could change their minds. Gray, whose offseason home is in Nashville, Tenn., would fetch the biggest prospect haul, but he likely wouldn’t consider any destinations other than Atlanta or Cincinnati. Contreras -- who successfully transitioned from catcher to first base -- loves playing for Marmol, and has given no indication that he wants out. |
Key player over the second half: Arenado Arenado, who has played Gold Glove-caliber defense again, ended the first half on a sour note by missing seven of the last 12 games because of nagging finger and shoulder issues. Those injuries wore down the 34-year-old Arenado, who has slashed .246/.305/.388 with 13 doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBIs. Arenado, who is desperate to play for a championship contender before retirement, has mentioned how much fun he’s had playing for a Cards club that is a surprising playoff contender. Is that enough to make Arenado want to remain in St. Louis? Or will the 10-time Gold Glover and eight-time All-Star reignite deals to a contender? Arenado used the no-trade clause in his contract to squash a proposed deal to the Astros last December after that franchise dealt away Kyle Tucker. Could talks with the Astros -- or even the Dodgers, Yankees or Red Sox -- heat up again? The prediction here is a resounding yes. |
Prospect to watch: Wetherholt Wetherholt, 22, was promoted to Triple-A Memphis on July 7 and he promptly tripled and homered in his first game at that level. Then, in the MLB Futures Game, he doubled off the wall in his first at-bat. The only question now about the former NCAA hitting champion is whether he will make it to St. Louis by September. A late-season promotion greatly benefitted Masyn Winn in 2023, and a similar elevation for the sweet-swinging Wetherholt could be coming. The club needs to know if he can play shortstop and second or just the latter, while also proving himself against big league pitching. |
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