After guiding the Cardinals to the postseason three years in a row, St. Louis shockingly fired manager Mike Shildt in 2021. This was due to a falling out with Baseball Operations Head John Mozeliak. Shildt has made the most of his second chance so far, in his first season as the Padres manager, San Diego appeared in the postseason and nearly eliminated the Dodgers in the NLDS. Shildt would even finish in second place in the NL Manager of the Year award vote. Meanwhile, St. Louis has gone to the postseason only once since axing Shildt. It’s safe to say that Mike Shildt got the last laugh on John Mozeliak and the St. Louis Cardinals.
The St. Louis Cardinals Foolish Firing Of Mike Shildt
Embed from Getty ImagesMike Shildt had a lot of success as the St. Louis Cardinals manager. Including his 69-game interim stint, the Cardinals had a .559 winning percentage, won an NL Central title, and went to the postseason three times in a row. He even won the NL Manager of the Year award in 2019. It should be noted that Shildt took St. Louis as far as the NLCS in 2019 as well. However, the team shockingly fired Shildt after the 2021 season. This was surprising given the team’s nature of continuity, especially after having another successful regular season. It was later reported that Shildt and President of Baseball Operation John Mozeliak had a falling out.
Mike Shildt’s Continuing To Have Success With The Padres
Embed from Getty ImagesShildt would spend the following season as a consultant to MLB before taking a job in player development with the Padres. During that same season in 2022, Shildt would serve as the interim third base coach. After San Diego let Bob Melvin depart to manage the Giants, the team promoted Mike Shildt to manager.
The former Cardinals manager had a fantastic first season with the San Diego Padres. He led them back to the postseason and came within one game of going to the NLCS. He accomplished that despite losing stars like Juan Soto and Josh Hader. Under his watch, Jurickson Profar, Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez, Jackson Merrill, and Robert Suarez were all all-stars. Merrill would even finish in second place in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. For his efforts, Shildt would finish second in NL Manager of the Year voting. This offseason, the team gave him a two-year extension that will run through 2027. The Padres have a promising future ahead under Mike Shildt.
The Cardinals Haven’t Been The Same Since Mike Shildt Left
Embed from Getty ImagesMeanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals haven’t been the same since firing Mike Shildt. While they won the division and made the postseason in 2022, they were swept in the NL Wild Card series. They’ve missed the postseason the last two seasons. This includes losing over 90 games in 2023 for the first time since 1990. The Cardinals also embarrassingly wasted the primes of both Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. The team is set to begin a rebuild and Shildt’s former boss, John Mozeliak will be stepping down after the 2025 season. Shildt’s successor, Oliver Marmol could also become the former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals as well.
Shildt’s Success Will Continue To Make The Cardinals Look Worse
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile Mike Shildt has continued to have success, the St. Louis Cardinals have faltered. St. Louis hasn’t won a playoff series since Shildt left have missed the postseason the last two years. One could argue that maybe the “Cardinal Way” died a painful death once Shildt departed the team. So far, Mike Shildt has been having the last laugh on the St. Louis Cardinals for firing him. With the Cardinals about to rebuild and the team San Diego has currently, Mike Shildt could win the World Series before St. Louis has hope of going to the postseason again.
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4 Comments
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You messed up firing Mike Shildt
They Won’t to go a Different Way down hill
Schildty is a class act; I was cheering for the Padres in the playoffs solely because of him and despite my admiration of Tommy Edman – another demonstration of poor decisionmaking by the current Cardinal front office.
Meanwhile, love my Cardinals; hate their management. So many poor decisions including firing Schildt – a lifelong Cardinal who did nothing but deliver – using a 2023 starter spot and $17M for Waino, watching one player after another leave and bloom elsewhere, and essentially squandering Goldie’s and Nado’s best years. To say nothing of the yo-yo (bring up, send down, bring up, send down …) handling of young talent. All avoidable, unforgivable and reflective of a rudderless enterprise. If Chaim Bloom doesn’t turn this ship around, I’m going to have to rethink my lifelong allegiance and San Diego / Schildt would be a great new team for me except I’m an East Coast resident and won’t be able to stay awake for their home games!