ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Heading into the offseason, the need to add starting pitchers for the St. Louis Cardinals was quite frankly as obvious as explosives being involved in a Michael Bay movie.
The Cardinals knew that by not signing just one, but two starting pitchers in Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson before Thanksgiving. While both have their flaws and neither are considered the top starting pitchers on the market, Gibson and Lynn both can still rack up innings. Last season, both Lynn and Gibson pitched a combined 375.2 innings.
Cardinals manager Oli Marmol is happy with the signings of both when he appeared on Total Information A.M. Wednesday to discuss the moves.
Marmol said that he talked to Lynn and Gibson before they signed and he thought both their personalities were what the Cardinals and him were looking for in the clubhouse next season.
"One of the things that it's really hard to measure in this game is the combination of personalities you put together in the clubhouse and both of these guys both know what it's look like to win," said Marmol. "Although they are different personalities, they bring something to that clubhouse. There's an edge and accountability to what they bring, but also the know how.
Marmol says their experience can also help the dynamic of the clubhouse, especially for the younger pitchers.
"They aren't wide-eyed, they been in the league for a while and understand what this looks like," said Marmol. "With some of the young arms we do have right now, having Lynn and Gibson come alongside them and show them what this looks like is important."
During the interview, Marmol also discussed the club adding Daniel Descalso to the coaching staff, replacing Joe McEwing as bench coach. Marmol says adding Descalso, who played alongside Marmol when they both were players in the Cardinals farm system.
"I love Descalso, have a ton of respect for him, and I wanted him on our staff," said Marmol. "He's knowledgeable of the game, his credibility in the clubhouse is unbelievable and he holds people to a certain standard. Everything about Descalso leads to being a really good coach."
Marmol says Descalso has all the tools to be a future manager in the big leagues in future, joining Marmol, Mike Shildt, David Bell, and Skip Schumaker as former Cardinals bench coaches to become MLB managers.
"He has the skillset for it, he communicates extremely well and I been wanting this," said Marmol.