In the winter of 2021, then-St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt was fired from his post due to what the team called 'philosophical differences'. Shildt, then 53, had guided the Cardinals to the postseason three times. In the 2021 season, Shildt's team won a franchise record 17 straight games, but ultimately fell short in the playoffs. The Cardinals replaced Shildt with the younger, spunkier Oli Marmol, who has remained the manager ever since.
"All I can say is where we felt the team was going, we were struggling to get on the same page," Mozeliak said. "With him having one year remaining on his contract, we could have gone into 2022 having that over him, and we just decided that internally it would be best to separate now and take a fresh look as we head into a new season."
St. Louis let Shildt walk with a year left on his deal. Two years later, Shildt was hired by the San Diego Padres as the 23rd manager in franchise history. He has led the team to the postseason in every year since, but on Monday morning, decided to call it quits.
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Why did Mike Shildt retire from baseball?
In a letter to the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee, Shildt wrote that the baseball season took a severe toll on him both mentally and physically. This is why, despite having two years left on his contract, Shildt chose to retire. He thanked the Seidler family and AJ Preller for hiring him in the first place, and noted how proud he was of his players and assistants. However, the most telling note in Shildt's statement came when discussing his health: “It’s time I take care of myself and exit on my terms.”
If Shildt feels his health is at risk, then it's tough to blame him for hanging up his cleats. He's dedicated more than half of his life to baseball, but ultimately he owes the game nothing if he doesn't have that same fire to bring a World Series to San Diego. Someone else will, as this roster – even though they could lose some key pieces in free agency – remains one of the most tantalizing in the NL West.
What Mike Shildt's sudden retirement says about the Cardinals
The Cardinals hardly could've known Shildt was going to retire from baseball just a few years after they shockingly parted ways with him. As Shildt said in the aftermath of his dismissal, he was heartbroken when St. Louis let him go.
“I have a broken heart,’’ Shildt told USA TODAY Sports. “It still hurts. It hurts bad. When it first happened, I broke down. I was inconsolable. I got better as time went on. Then I got down here, put on the Padres uniform, and it hit me. Now, it just hit me again.’’
What the Cardinals did know was Shildt's demeanor, his coaching style, and ultimately his drive. John Mozeliak has made many of mistakes over the years. At the time of Shildt's firing, even I called him out for getting rid of a sure thing in favor of Marmol, whose tenure has been filled with far too many ups and downs since. Marmol hasn't been consistent, but at the very least he won't leave the Cardinals high and dry like Shildt just left the Padres following an early playoff exit.
Firing Shildt back in 2021 is still a questionable decision in hindsight, but it makes far more sense now that Shildt has left baseball altogether just four years after the fact.