ST. LOUIS–On the record reaction from St. Louis Cardinals players to the firing of manager Mike Shildt has been hard to come by since Thursday’s surprise announcement, but at least one player is making his thoughts known.
Over the weekend, Yadier Molina spoke to media outlets in Puerto Rico. El Nuevo Dia reports that Molina was surprised by the move.
“We had very good communication,” he said of his own relationship with Shildt. “We went to the playoffs three times in four years. Maybe there was some problem between him and the management. I can’t give you the reasons, but from what I know inside the clubhouse, there wasn’t any kind of problem.”
Asked for his thoughts on what attributes the next manager should have, Molina told the outlet “It has to be someone who thinks about the organization and trying to win more than anything else. If he is a Puerto Rican, then better. It would be nice to play for a Puerto Rican manager my last season. But the mentality of winning, doing things well and protecting ourselves is the most that a player wants .”
Former Cardinal Carlos Beltran, a native Puerto Rican, has been speculated by some as a possible managerial candidate for St. Louis. Beltran was fired by the Mets before he ever managed a game in 2020, over his reported role in the Houston Astros’ sign stealing scandal. John Mozeliak, President of Baseball Operations, said Thursday there were likely going to be internal candidates for the position, believed to be first base coach Stubby Clapp and bench coach Oliver Marmol, and that he hoped the rest of the 2021 staff would return in 2022