Cardinals President of baseball operations John Mozeliak had made it clear Monday morning that he did not expect to have to hire a manager this winter, did not expect a manager search to absorb several weeks of October, but did see the potential in Oliver Marmol to some day be a major league manager.

Well, that time is now.

“Perhaps the simplest question is, ‘Why Oli Marmol?’” Mozeliak said. “So let me try to answer that. Oli understands what we’ve been trying to do, what we need to do, and what we want to do in the future. Oli has a long history of being a part of the Cardinals organization. …

“He is the right man for this job at this time,” Mozeliak concluded, affirming his confidence in the newest manager for one of the winningest teams in professional sports..

Marmol, 35, is not only the youngest manager in Major League Baseball, but he is also the only manager in his 30s.

They have agreed on a three-year contract, taking him through the 2024 season.

His unveiling as the newest manager has thus far been met with mixed reactions, with some wishing that the Cardinals had explored potential options outside of the current organization.

But only time will tell how it turns out…