Article is paywalled, here are some pull quotes. Highly recommend reading the whole article, which goes into a ton of detail.
“One of the reasons I am going to leave is a frustration with the stress and the inability to please everybody,” Shildt said. “… I made a decision to go home because of this. I’m tired of dealing with it.”
Shildt was responding to the Union-Tribune on Tuesday regarding questions about his management style based on the complaints of a number of people who worked with him the past two years.
Nearly 20 sources — 12 of them who worked with Shildt on a daily basis during the season — have in recent months characterized Shildt as unyieldingly demanding of his coaching staff and the team’s support staff and as having a tendency to micromanage and possessing a quick temper that is easily triggered by questioning or feedback.
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The issues that surfaced in San Diego were virtually identical to the issues that several league sources said led to Shildt’s abrupt dismissal in St. Louis following a 90-win season in 2021 and three playoff appearances in three seasons.
Shildt acknowledged Tuesday that the things he was hearing were “eerily similar in the two places I’ve managed.”
The Cardinals have only ever said publicly that Shildt was fired due to “philosophical differences.” A half-dozen sources, including current and former members of the Cardinals organization and two people who were part of front offices that considered interviewing Shildt in the month after he was fired, said some Cardinals coaches and others threatened to quit if Shildt remained.
That did not occur in San Diego, though multiple coaches indicated they would leave if they found opportunities elsewhere.
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Throughout this season, people in the organization said, tensions rose as Shildt became more demanding and seemingly entrenched in his beliefs about how the team should be run.
As the Padres continued to win, sources said, those below and above Shildt were reluctant to push for his ouster or even complain too vociferously. However, it remained a persistent topic among many of them even as they also sought to remain focused on their jobs.
Some coaches also resigned themselves to simply surviving because there is not an abundance of major league opportunities. Multiple coaches said they wanted to win and felt the Padres afforded that chance and they wanted to be part of the realization of a goal. They also said their love for the players kept them around.
The Padres enlisted people internally to work with Shildt regarding his penchant to snap at colleagues and even superiors who he perceived were questioning him, according to multiple sources. The plan for the offseason was for there to be more discussions and work done regarding his interactions with staff and media.
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Many in the organization spoke over the past several months of repeated angry outbursts and what were painted as unproductive and destructive communication tactics. Shildt often made employees feel silly for suggestions or what they deemed helpful information, but he then would sometimes complain that they had not prepared him for situations.
Some veteran coaches lamented that the coaches lower on the totem pole bore the brunt of Shildt’s vexation.
15 comments
From Heyman:
Mike Shildt’s surprise departure from the Padres was announced as a “retirement,” and team personnel are insisting it was Shildt’s call to exit after feeling “worn down.” However, it was hard to see him lasting in that role considering his very poor relationship with some of his coaches.
Sources suggest one of the coaches was recently so upset after feeling insulted by Shildt that a fight nearly broke out. Shildt gained a rep as blunt and temperamental in St. Louis, where he was fired after an excellent season. In St. Louis, the feeling was he didn’t treat the support staff appropriately. So the situation is somewhat similar.
Sounds like Nate Shelley from Ted Lasso.
wow, I had no idea.
I wonder if folks who were highly pissed about Shildt being fired from STL will reconsider, now.
he seemed like a nice guy, but you never really know unless you are in that locker room…
we went from Matheny to Shildt, meaning our clubhouse was one of the least chill places on earth from 2012 – 2021. damn!
Well Shildt’s firing makes a lot more sense now.
Well, that supports a popular theory. I’m not easy to work with, either. I’ve always wondered how grueling some of these coaching jobs are. I can imagine that some coaches are nose-to-the-grindstone types while others might be a bit lazy. I’m sure the team’s performance can dictate how much of a workload you have.
Some things never change.
Hopefully, (fan) narratives regarding Shildt will start to change. But … probably not.
So the narrative was that the cardinal leadership fired him for standing up for himself but in reality he was just an asshole behind the scenes. I wondered if that was the case but figured I’d never find out the real reason. It’s kind of nice to see another organization have the same problem so we know for sure.
Sometimes, you just don’t have the personality to lead people at high levels I guess. Don’t blame STL or SD for wanting to move on.
Hope he enjoys retirement and hope the Padres find a replacement that works better for them.
Shildt was in the Cardinals org for nearly a decade as coach and scout before he got the top managing job, and somehow no one knew that he was ill-tempered?
I’ll go back to my mantra. The Cardinals organization knows more than those of us on Reddit. Of course, everyone is entitled to opinions, but doesn’t make us right.
I can’t count the number of times I read that Oli sucks, needs to be replaced, bring back Shildt, never should have been fired, another Mo fuck up. We are all the tip of the iceberg; we can see the 10% above the water but not the 90% under the water.
Are we supposed to act like a coach who is an asshole and is demanding is some fireable offense? He was still the right guy and did not deserve to be fired, I think some support staff needs a little thicker skin. TLR was a massive asshole too.
Since 2021 when the Cards fired him I always wondered why the organization didn’t see his “style” as an issue from the start. The guy who coached the Cardinals Rookie league team, AA, and AAA team (all winning championships). But the issue didn’t arise or become prevalent enough until he was with the big club. Ohh well, hopefully he enjoys retirement.
So he’s an asshole and people had enough. Anyone that wears their hat so low it touches your glasses can’t be trusted.
How did the coaching staff around Tony like him? We saw how he was with the media. I’m guessing he had a good relationship with his main guys Duncan, McKay, Oquendo, Pettini since they stuck around so long.