Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina's agent, Melvin Roman of MDR Sports Management, said Tuesday that his client will not discuss a potential contract extension once the regular season begins, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Molina, 30 in July, is an extension candidate as he enters his final season before free agency, although extensions talks have recently been put on hold. Roman intends to remain in Florida for several days to potentially resume extension discussions, although nothing is imminent on that front as of now, according to Strauss.
"It could be tomorrow. It could be two days. It could be two weeks," Roman said. "If they want us to come back, we'll come back."
Molina, a right-handed hitter, owns a .271/.331/.377 career line with 55 homers in parts of eight big leagues seasons and is generally considered among the game's best defensive catchers. He's believed to be seeking a five-year deal with an average annual salary of $10MM, Strauss reports.
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said he and Roman talked on Tuesday but declined to comment on whether those discussions included the parameters for a potential extension.
Ah, the Pujols strategy. Trade him before the deadline, get something of value since he’s pretty much going to walk guaranteed now this his buddy is gone.
huh? Why would they trade him before the deadline? I’m sure glad they didn’t trade Pujols. I don’t care if they don’t get anything out of him, if you’re in contention you go for it.
Yadi is a little different scenario too. It could make sense to sign him to a long-term deal. They might be able to fit that into the budget. With Pujols, obviously that wasn’t possible.
mostly because I don’t think the Cardinals will be contending this year.
Maybe they will and I’ll be wrong, but I don’t like all of the moves and non-moves. I’m not sold on Beltran in the slightest and I don’t necessarily think Wainright will be back to business as usual quite so quickly.
Most people said the same thing last year. I’m not going to sit here and say they are going to win the division, it’s going to be tough. But it doesn’t happen very often that the Cardinals are far enough out of it in July for them to sell.
If they are, then I’m fine with trading Yadi. I just don’t find it very likely they are 8+ games out of the playoffs.
You’re not sold on a guy who hit .300, 22 home runs and 80 rbi’s on a team who had no protection for him?
Even if it didn’t really fit into the budget.. They could probably move him after the 1st couple of years in a deal and STILL get a decent package back in return what he seems to be looking for is so reasonable.. 35YO is not that bad of an age for the contract to expire.
His only value is defense not offense. So moving him to first would be pointless.
(he means trade him, not move him to 1B)
My bad, just woke up and must have read it wrong.
I can think of a few teams who would probably be GLAD to sign a then 30YO molina to a 5/50m deal for just his GG defense and cannon for an arm. Anything he provides with the bat is a bonus.
Some Cardinal fans got all over me for posting about another contract they have on the books and another big one they will have to worry about in a couple of years.. Well, if they don’t sign the best defensive catcher in the game to this seemingly very affordable deal.. we will see just how much of an impact those 2 will have.
The truth will be told exactly how much effect they have.
If they lose two great players in two straight off seasons, likely to the same team, it’s going to make the team look really bad. Yadi is and was more valuable than Pujols and nobody in the system or FA market is anywhere close to his level. They can afford to give him what he wants and not cripple the franchise. Especially with Lohse, Westbrook and Berkman coming off the books. But I have a feeling that Yadi wants to leave and Mo/Matheny want to give the job to Anderson. This sucks.
“Yadi is and was more valuable than Pujols”
HAHA I think we’re starting to take this a little far. I love Yadi as much as anyone, but c’mon man.
He is at least as valuable. You can’t just look at the stats. He is awesome at handling the pitching staff and he would be a big key in the development of the young pitchers coming up. Bottom line: We can’t lose two leaders two years in a row.
I’ll take my chances finding a great defensive catcher who can handle a pitching staff over a replacement for a player with a career LOW 5.1 WAR. I love Yadi, but they’re not in the same ballpark.
They used to be, but Pujols signed with the Angels. If Yadi can play well this year, they may be again come July 10.
Does he also qualify as a gamer who gives 110% day in and day out?
Above average catcher is as valuable as the best player of this generation? Hmmm….
agreed dont trade…let him sign with the redsox next year
Please please please.
HAHAHA. The Steinbrenner’s would/will have an open checkbook policy if he reaches FA. -0- chance he winds up in Boston.
My point above was only that teams with a large payroll would readily offer him 5/50m now and consider it a bargain.
Unfortunately I can only like this once.
If Yadi isn’t playing for the cardinals next year, he’ll be on the angels you can bet on it.
Unlike Pujols, Molina’s new contract won’t hamstring an organization and also unlike Pujols, the organization doesn’t have a solution in waiting. They need molina. The only excuse for not signing him to an extension is if they go after other top free agents, and thats usually not their strategy.
Cruz showed some promise last year in a limited sample. Anderson has hit well. I imagine Matheny will do just fine at training one of those two up in the event that Yadi walks.
cruz and anderson? those aren’t solutions. Thats duct tape. We would be making catcher into the current second base, a revolving door of mediocrity with no real solution. Thats not a good strategy.
5 year – 50+ Million is a bit too much for a defensive catcher. He never has a WAR above 4 (according to baseball reference). His is valuable if he catches since he is not a threat offensively so even a position switch doesn’t make sense if his defensive abilities starts to diminish (which is highly likely later in the deal).
A 3 year – 27-30M seems like the sweet spot. If it goes to 5 years, let some other team take the risk.
Let him walk…. attitude is getting worse by the day.
His attitude is I’m a good player for good team that’s made a lot of money and I’d like my share now.
It amazes me that fans still don’t get from the perspective of the owners and the players that the game is a business.
If winning world championships & playing in a great city for a fair wage is not enough. Go play somewhere else. Its that simple.
I am amazed how some fans are so quick to spend an owners money.
here we go again…
If it ends the same as last season, I’m good with it……
as am i, but if theres another heart break just the very next off season, im gonna start having some serious doubts about the organization
Edit: actually i’d have doubts with mo and the FO, not the organization
Really? I’d just see the players as wanting to get the most money they can while the owners want to put a competitive and business-responsible (i.e. not-bankrupting, hopefully profitable) team on the field.
If Molina gets a 5/75 contract offer in Free Agency and the Cards decline to match, I won’t fault Mo or the player if Yadi walks. If he gets a 4/40 contract and walks, I’ll be disappointed.
i thank that the cardinals could easily sign him to what he wants without breaking the bank. Hes just someone you can’t afford to lose in my opinion, especially with our other internal options at catcher. with his defense and arm and his more than serviceable batting, plus hes one of the few that have been here for both championships and has the experience and is still young, i just think we cant afford to lose him, unlike albert because we had berkmann as a backup, we have nothing to back him up, hes just too good and too important
The Cardinals will benefit from a weak division unless the pirates can finally break through. The Brewers lose Fielder and Braun won’t play til Manny does. Reds pitching is inconsistent and Cubs and Astros are terrible. Even the Pirates probably don’t have good enough pitching to go into October. The one thing that may be holding the Cards back is their offense. If Berkman returns to 2010 form, if Freese gets injured at the wrong time. If Beltran tanks. Pujols is hard to replace. Ask the Giants. Plus let’s forget Lohse and Westbrook. I don’t see a repeat.
The Pirates? Really? Man I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you guys are about to become the Astros of the NL Central.
You do have some interesting prospects but with no payroll and the current state of the roster, how did you come up with the Pirates as a contender? Best case, you guys have a winning record (and I’d bet against that).
if i were molina, i would wait to sign. even if he gets injured, the catcher market is so thin that there will be a huge bidding war for him. is there a big market team that wont want him? Yankees if martin plays like himself, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Mets would be in the picture. That sounds like a dream scenario for any free agent.
Clearly…. I don’t think so.
If he were referring to Pujols there would be no reason to say once again. “Get a Grip Dude”. He was referring to losing “Yadi”.
8 games out by July isn’t out anymoreEven if Beltran doesn’t play that well and with regression from Carpenter, Berkman, Freese, Matt, and with Wainwright not coming back to form and Furcall not doing better “like I believe he will” We will still contend for the wildcard. Has anyone heard anything more about two more wildcard teams?
I can see a few scenarios:
5/$40—lower AAV, 5th year
3/$33 with club option—higher AAV, less years
4/38— I see this as the most likely.
And front load each one.
The best established catchers in the game are all making $12M+ AAV. Do you really think YADIER MOLINA will take $10M or less AAV?? After he just said this weekend that it IS all about the money??
It’s not happening, Cards fans. He’s gone.
“I call him, mini-me” – Dr. Evil
Yadi may think that because this worked for his big buddy, it will work for him; but it will backfire. Yadi is forgetting that, unlike his big buddy, he doesn’t have trade protection. I say if they don’t sign him by his deadline, trade him right away, either straight up for Mike Napoli or a pantload of prospects. Yadi is a great catcher, but other teams have shown that they can win with mediocre catchers (Rays, Yankees, Phillies).
Sign him to a long term deal and eventually turn him into a pitching coach, which he pretty much is now
It’s not so much a matter of the Cardinals being better as it is a matter of the other teams in the NL Central being worse.The Brewers are clearly a weaker team with Fielder gone and Braun possibly gone for 50 games.What have the Reds done to improve?The Cubs are the Cubs and the Pirates may be better,but not enough. The Astros are terrible.The Cards have a very realistic chance of having a worse record than in 2011 and still winning the division.
Despite not having a Cardinals avatar, I’m a lifelong Cardinals fan.
Difference is, I can be honest with things.
The fact is 2 teams ran away with the division last year. Now the major changes are both of those teams lost a star hitter, Cards regain Wainright, Brewers probably get a few more stars from Grienke, and of every other team in NL Central only the Reds really upgraded to being a potential threat.
I’d be shocked if the Cards don’t contend in Central Division. Add to that, the last 2 times the Cards won the Series, well I’d never have bet on them at any point in the season.
I don’t know what kind of fan says their team won’t contend when they just won the WS. C’mon. Its gonna be a dog fight with the Reds and Cards. Brewers could be in there too. It’s gonna be fun.
There’s a difference in being honest and being a fanboy.
Your response screams “hello, I am a fanboy and I believe that even the worst possible team that I love will always be a contender and I won’t say otherwise until the season is over”.
and they still find ways to win…. gotta love it
I think he was referring to Albert. What have they won since then?
Once again????? I don’t think he was… but the Cardinals have 11 Championships. Been winning for a very long time.
Once again????? I don’t think he was… but the Cardinals have 11 Championships. Been winning for a very long time.
What has anybody won since Pujols signed with the Angels?
Thank you. Even if the Reds or Brewers win the division, which is admittedly more likely than not, I have a hard time envisioning us being so far off the lead at the deadline that we dump Molina.
They have two championships in the free agent era. You are completely misreading his comment. It was clearly a Pujols reference.
Exactly. Which is why it is ridiculous to say “…and they still find ways to win”
I concur.
“Once again” implies that it is at least the second such incident. If Pujols is referred to by “once again”, then who was the first?
The “Once Again” would be Molina (if he leaves). Atleast that’s what I think he meant. I don’t know, I didn’t write it.
Stan Musial? Maybe even Adam Wainwright.
It depends on your definition of free agent era. Yes, it was around in the mid 80’s, but in 86 there was like 35 free agents total and I think like 3 of them switched teams. Free agency really picked up in the early to mid 90’s when players (star players even) started switching teams during the offseason.
But technically, you are right.
how do you lose albert pujols and consider yourself better on paper?
Checking facts before I post..haha
Something more people should do on here.
I just remember reading a couple months ago about how free agency has changed since the beginning.
I was replying to the guy who called it a Pujols reference (who now admits it as a Yadi reference below). I knew the original poster referred to Yadi, and was trying to use logic to push past the poster who was referring to Pujols.
Sorry for the confusion.
People that think that losing Albert has doomed the Cardinals, or made us worse, don’t know what they’re talking about. Of course we’d be better with him, but comparing last years team to this year, and it’s obvious that this squad is better. Theriot and Franklin cost us many, many games. Rasmus cost us a couple. Berkman’s RF defense was bad. Got that patched up with Beltran. Holiday, Freese, and Craig were hurt a lot last year. Surely they will have better health.
jay>rasmus? i think not. the rest are good points but way off on that one.
Owners(The Team) will be there long after the players are gone…. C’Mon man!!!! Completely different.