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Cardinals Rumors: Mike Shildt likely to return as manager in 2022

By Robert Murray

Mike Shildt #8 of the St. Louis Cardinals claps before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 02, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Mike Shildt #8 of the St. Louis Cardinals claps before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 02, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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The St. Louis Cardinals’ struggles this season have led to questions about Mike Shildt’s job status, but he’s likely to return in 2022.

As the regular season comes to an end, the talk surrounding the fate of St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt’s job status is surely going to grow. Should he stay for another season? Should he be fired?

In a recent mailbag, Katie Woo of The Athletic wrote that she “fully believes” Shildt will return as Cardinals manager in 2022, saying that the team “still believes he is the right man for the job.”

A decision is not final, and likely will not be until the end of the regular season, but this has always been the most realistic scenario. The players love Shildt and he’s widely viewed in league circles as one of the better managers in baseball, despite fans growing frustration this season as the Cardinals have widely underperformed after the Nolan Arenado trade.

A primary reason for those struggles, of course, has been the number of injuries the Cardinals have dealt with. Jack Flaherty, Kwang Hyun Kim, Miles Mikolas have all missed significant time with injuries. Harrison Bader has been on the IL twice. Jordan Hicks has been out for most of the season after being put into a prominent role in the bullpen to begin the season.

Shildt has drawn a lot – and I mean a LOT – of criticism for how he’s used his bullpen, especially with the deployment of Alex Reyes and Giovanny Gallegos. Despite those complaints, the Cardinals’ 3.86 bullpen ERA since the All-Star break ranks sixth in baseball, and he’s gotten the most out of Jon Lester and J.A. Happ, two veterans who were on steep declines when they were acquired at the trade deadline.

If Shildt returns, the pressure will be on him to put up better results in 2022. It’s also on the Cardinals front office to give him a better roster, both offensively and pitching, and not try to maximize results from aging veterans such as Happ and Lester.

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But that front office believes Shildt is the manager who can change their fortune, hence why he’s always been likely to return in 2022.

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