Mike Shildt says goodbye to the St. Louis Cardinals

In classy press conference, Mike Shildt says goodbye to the St. Louis Cardinals.

In his first public comments since being fired by the St. Louis Cardinals, Mike Shildt took the high road. He did not point fingers. Instead, he expressed his gratitude to the organization and wished them well.

It’s what we have come to expect from Shildt. In his time with the Cardinals, especially his four years as manager, he was revered by players and media for the way he handled each interaction and the way he managed a clubhouse of 25 different personalities. Now, with Shildt out of St. Louis, he expects there to be “many” opportunities — with reports surfacing late Sunday night that he would interview for the San Diego Padres managerial opening.

To stick with his time with the Cardinals, he acknowledged that there were differences between himself and the front office, saying “Clearly there were differences that led to this parting of ways, but out of respect for the organization and people that run it, I can only express my gratitude. Regardless of how challenging the conversations were, it was always about what’s best for the Cardinals and the St. Louis Cardinals organization, and maintaining the very high standards of the organization, on and off the field.”

For those reasons, among others, is why Shildt is so beloved among his players. And it will make replacing him so difficult — and why the Cardinals absolutely have to get this hire right.

They are placing a heavy emphasis on making the hire quickly, with increased buzz that the hire will come internally. Bench coach Oliver Marmol appears to be the favorite going in, but Yadier Molina pushed for a Puerto Rican hire, so Jose Oquendo could end up being high up on their list of candidates. There are a wide variety of people being considered for the job, but all indications are that Molina will not be considered despite social media buzz.

The pressure is on the Cardinals front office to get this hire right. If they don’t, not only will they spoil Molina and Adam Wainwright’s final seasons, it could cost them Nolan Arenado — and ultimately their jobs as well.