3 St. Louis Cardinals who could follow Mike Shildt to San Diego

With Mike Shildt reportedly one of the leading candidates to become the next manager of the San Diego Padres, could a reunion of Cardinals be coming?

Could a reunion between some St. Louis Cardinals who played under Mike Shildt during his time managing under the Gateway Arch be coming in San Diego? It's possible, but we need to lay out some facts before diving into that line of thinking.

Let's be perfectly honest. There are some caveats that come with this article, starting with the fact that Shildt is among the leading candidates to be the next manager of the San Diego Padres. That, however, is nowhere near in stone as Shildt, certainly serving as a senior advisor with the Padres, is on the list of candidates believed to be in line to take over for Bob Melvin, who recently bolted San Diego for the San Francisco Giants. He, along with bench coach Ryan Flaherty, are considered by many to be the front-runners for the position.

However, it would make sense that, if Shildt is indeed named as the Padres manager, he would want some faces in the clubhouse who he is not only familiar with from his time in St. Louis, but who could also help the Padres overcome the stench of what was a very disappointing season for them.

With the Cardinals and Padres both looking to shake off what was an underperforming 2023 season, here are some players who could be (or already have been) jettisoned by St. Louis who could make 

Tyler O'Neill could go from St. Louis Cardinals to San Diego Padres

O'Neill made his MLB debut in 2018, the same year that Shildt took over as the interim manager for the Cardinals then turned that into the next three full seasons overseeing the team. That includes the 2021 season where O'Neill finished eighth in the National League MVP voting by slashing .286/.352/.560 with 34 home runs and 80 RBI.

However, when Shildt was shown the door, O'Neill's production took a big dip as well. Now two years into the Oli Marmol regime, O'Neill could well be a non-tender candidate for the Cardinals. MLBTradeRumors.com projects O'Neill's salary to be around $5.5 million this season. It's a higher price than the Cardinals may be willing to spend if they have indeed decided internally that it's time to move on from him. It's also a price that could well fit into San Diego's reported plans to try to lower payroll to around $200 million for next season.

That, of course, would all potentially come together if the Cardinals decide to non-tender him. Our friends at Redbird Rants believe it would be wiser for St. Louis to sign him and then try to trade him to get something in return. While that theory certainly makes sense, it could also push the Cardinals to hang on to him with a roster spot they would rather use for someone else.

A change of scenery might do well for O'Neill, and a reunion with Shildt could potentially rejuvenate his offensive numbers.