Marmol confident Cards 'have what it takes' to get back to postseason

JUPITER, Fla. – In an effort to alleviate some of the awkwardness of having so many newcomers on one pitching staff, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol spent a chunk of his offseason arranging video calls among small groups of players, meeting face-to-face with others and even hosting reliever Keynan Middleton for a post-signing celebration at his St. Louis area home.

On Wednesday -- the first day Cardinals pitchers and catchers took the back fields at Roger Dean Stadium for official workouts -- Marmol got to connect directly with that army of new pitchers and begin the process of building chemistry among the group.

“It was really good to get them all in one room and start to talk through process and culture and what it looks like to all come together,” said Marmol, who admitted that his staff is already toying with the idea of a six-man rotation because the club plays 13 games in 14 days to open the season. “We were very specific with the names that we went out and got this offseason and they’re here for a reason. To say that we’re excited about it, that’s an understatement.”

There wasn’t nearly as much excitement around the Cardinals clubhouse last season when their pitching staff bottomed out completely and had their fingerprints all over a forgettable 71-91 finish. The revamping of the pitching staff began in late July when the Cardinals dealt five pitchers, and it continued through the offseason when they added 10 new arms that are expected to fight for spots on the Opening Day roster.

Marmol was fully on board with the club signing three new starters to join Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz, and that’s just what the Redbirds did by acting swiftly and landing proven veterans Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson by late November. Gray, the runner-up to the American League’s Cy Young Award last season, was the prized free-agent signing and someone who openly wanted to pitch for the Cardinals.

• Gray ready to lead Cards' rotation on and off the field

It was the same case for Lynn, a former Cardinals World Series champion, and Gibson, who lives in St. Louis in the offseason and starred years earlier at the University of Missouri.

Landing players who wanted to be Cardinals was important to the organization, Marmol said, especially after the brand took a hit last season by posting its worst record in 33 years. Getting that buy-in from players should help the Cardinals avoid the roster fraying that took place last season when the franchise mostly struggled from start to finish.

“It’s important when you have guys who actually want to play here,” Marmol said. “[Gray] wanted to play here, [Lynn] and [Gibson] wanted to be here and [Matt Carpenter] wanted to come back. So, when you go down that list, they’re excited to be a Cardinal. There are a lot of things that guys end up chasing when they enter free agency, but these guys wanted to make sure they were here. I’m glad it worked out the way that it did.”

As important as it was to sign three starters, trading for Andrew Kittredge and signing Middleton might register as equally important moves. Because their starters consistently struggled to go deep into games last season, the bullpen was often overworked and overexposed and needed a makeover.

Kittredge and Middleton will join forces with closer Ryan Helsley and high-leverage relievers Giovanny Gallegos, JoJo Romero, Andre Pallante and John King to give the Cardinals a bullpen that might have multiple options to close out games.

Middleton, who missed Wednesday’s workout because of a bout with a stomach bug, is one reliever who Marmol already believes can help the Cardinals avoid some of the same issues that wrecked the bullpen last season.

“I was able to spend some time with him and he’s got some fire to him,” said the manager, who noted that Lynn gave the team a scouting report on Middleton from their time together playing for the White Sox.

“He’s going to fit well with what we have going on here. He’s going to add a certain edge to that bullpen that I’m looking forward to. He’s one who likes to be held accountable, but part of his personality is holding others accountable. He wants to win, he likes having structure and he’s going to fit in really well.”

Put it all together, and Marmol thinks the Cardinals are in line to distance themselves from their 2023 collapse and push their way back into the playoffs in the season ahead.

“From a skill standpoint, I think we have what it takes,” Marmol said. “Today is Day 1 of attention to detail through the roof and getting back to our style of play. Today is the start of that and we have the right mindset with the group that we have.”