Free-agent catcher Yadier Molina is expected to re-sign with the Cardinals at the conclusion of the Caribbean Series on Feb. 6, perhaps before then, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch previously reported Molina was expected to stay with the club.
What was previously a silent offseason for the Cardinals has turned into an active one, as they re-signed right-hander Adam Wainwright on Friday and have been connected to Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado in trade rumors. Like Wainwright, Molina is one of the most accomplished players in Cardinals history.
Molina has spent his entire career with the St. Louis organization since it used a fourth-round pick on him in 2000, but there was some doubt about the nine-time All-Star’s future earlier this winter. The 38-year-old garnered interest from other teams (including the Yankees, Mets, Padres and Angels) and even mentioned retirement as a possibility. But it appears Molina will instead remain with the Cardinals for the 18th year in a row.
While Molina isn’t the high-end producer he was during his heyday, he remains a useful starting catcher even at this late stage of his career. His .262/.303/.359 line in 156 plate appearances last season was good for an 82 wRC+, which fell short of the league-average mark of 90 wRC+ but was still fairly respectable for the position. Behind the plate, Molina threw out a whopping 45 percent of would-be base thieves (the average mark was 24 percent) and, per Statcast, finished in the league’s 73rd percentile as a pitch framer. He’s also one of the most respected leaders in the game, making him all the more valuable to the Cardinals.
Assuming he does finalize a deal with St. Louis, Molina should comprise the team’s top two catchers alongside Andrew Knizner in 2021. The Cardinals had veteran Matt Wieters on their roster last season, and he collected 41 PA (Knizner had 17), but he’s now a free agent.
Wadz
:O
bot
Ready to blow ?
Francys01
Let’s get it done. Yadi is vital for the team. As long as Yadi is back, Mozeliak can sign whoever he wants to play second base. The priority is re-signing him.
Buster79
2nd base is fine, Edmond isn’t bad. The big question is can the young outfielders get their batting averages up?
Deadguy
Yadi Yadi Yadi!
And they got Nolan Arenado! Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado on the same team, this is gonna be fun to watch. You get people on base in front of them all season long and look out. I like Tommy Eddy and Carlson at the top of the line up batting in front of them. Possibly even Fowler, but the speed of the youngsters is tempting. They will be scoring from first on doubles in the gap. It good to know Yadier Molina will be coming back. This group is much better today than it was 2 days ago.
17dizzy
The “MLB news Radio show” this morning made the observation of which I do agree with.
Buy obtaining Nolan Arenaldo in a surprising, historic trade, it strengthened the entire offense and defense of the team. Making them the projections of contenders for the National League Championship.
However—- if for some reason the Cardinals can’t sign Yadi, the chances of ontaining a Mational League Championship is less likely to happen in 2021.
17dizzy
Obtaining—— Not ontaining
&
National—— not Mational
ABCD
Yay!
Jose Tattoo-vay
I like that you have updated your profile name.
waterdog311
Hi again Mrs. P, remember me 😉
Yeah ya do…
ABCD
Stu, is that you?
FredMcGriff for the HOF
20 million?
ABCD
One can hope.
gbs42
$20M for one year? That’s funny.
ABCD
One can hope.
gbs42
Nowhere close to that amount.
geg42
What other possible ending could there be?
robertj53086
Please be accurate
thebaseballfanatic
If you’re not going to build a better team, at least appease your dwindling fans.
Dotnet22
Dwindling??? That 3.3 million gate would disagree.
baseballpun
Attendance actually DROPPED by 3.3 million last year!
belkiolle
They’ll be lucky to see to 50% attendance this year too.
stan lee the manly
It’s almost like there’s a pandemic going on or something…
brockswipessecond
Finally
Cohn Joppolella
Cards are now done for the offseason.
dmarcus15
Unless the Arenado deal gets done
stymeedone
I love how the Cards are being active this winter because of the Arrenado rumors. Used to be that you had to actually do something to be active. Now, being in a rumor suffices.
gbs42
Maybe bring Wong back for one year and about $8M.
brockswipessecond
Or do both. An infield of Goldschmidt, Arenado, Wong, and DeJong would please me. Don’t be waking me up … I want this delusional dream to last
DarkSide830
now Cards fans can stop complaining now that their old battery is back
RobM
…or they can start complaining that their old battery is back.
Deadguy
Getting Arenado would make up for Arozarena then they’ll shut up….
Well that’s dependent on how well Carpenter and Fowler play in the games they appear in
geg42
If Molina can put up 2 more strong seasons, he is a lock for the HOF. 1 more and he is probably in.
belkiolle
He’s already a lock for the Hall of Fame. Playing two more subpar seasons could actually hurt more than they help.
baseballpun
If people look at WAR and stop their analysis, maybe. Adding to the counting stats though would probably help his case.
boachthecoach
I wouldn’t say he’s a lock but he definitely has a solid case. I think him and posey will get in on their third or fourth years.
Very Barry
Neither Molina or Posey are HOF worthy. The bar continues to get lower and lower with some fans.
Pauly2112
You’re vaporizing big boulders of crack if you don’t think Molina is a HOF’er!
boachthecoach
I never said that I don’t think he’s HOF worthy, I just said that he’s not a surefire lock and will need at least a few years before possibly getting in
DarkSide830
you might not realize how high the bar is for catchers
geg42
Thurman Munson is not in. Played before my time but I can’t understand why he’s not in. 5-6 other guys with better JAWS stats than Molina are not in the hall.
I would vote for Molina and Posey both, FWIW
themed
He’s already a first ballot hall of famer.
YourDreamGM
Already in my hall. But I value defense and how you make a staff better.
Balk
As expected! The man wouldn’t look right in any other uni!
Very Barry
Wouldn’t look right in any other uniform, and would also not play more than 60 or 70 games if he were in another uniform which is where his skills currently are. He is now a split time catcher with no power.
Balk
That’s ok too, but he’s more then just a split time catcher though. He’s a coach and inspiration to young talent and team. Bringing him back is worth it I think.
themed
Still one of the best in the game today!
Balk
Yadi, Posey, Perez, Realmuto, are best catchers in the game today. Mlb teams have some youngsters on the rise though!
yankeefan363
Good for him that’s where he should end his carrier I’ve always been a huge fan
Cohens_Wallet
Now they can concentrate on either Arenado or Story
belkiolle
Neither. Sign Justin Turner for 2 years as a bridge to Gorman and call it a day.
bot
Everyone here loves to blast that arenado contract but it’s over when he’s 35 and declines last 2 seasons. He’s also never gonna make more than that on the open market so he’s not opting out. Great fit for StL! They should be all over him !
gbs42
If Arenado wouldn’t make more than his current contract on the open market, the Cardinals should let him opt out after 2021 and then try to sign them for less. They would save money and not give up prospects.
Deleted Userrr
Shocking
Scrap1ron
Old man river keeps rolling.
Sideline Redwine
Re-signing these two hardly constitutes “active”–simply signings that were anticipated. The entire story is a nothing burger–everyone has expected stl to re-sign Yadi all along!
Until they pull the trigger on an actual trade, or sign someone we don’t expect, stl and the central as a whole are inactive, waiting to see who wants to lose the least. Just a few years ago this was a great division.
bot
Well said ! Worst division in baseball. Even the Pirates coulda went all in this season and had a chance to win it. I think vegas has reds as fav to win it w 70 wins
Very Barry
As bad as the Cincinnati is offensively …….. How much worse is it than the St. Louis lineup? Reds still got a shot. St. Louis is following the Philly plan which is re-sign your own players, close your eyes and hope for a miracle.
mlbnyyfan
To all Cards fans did you really think he wasn’t coming back. It’s unfortunate Gardy more than likely coming back to Yankees in what I hope is his farewell year.
jasbcar
absolute shocker! LMAO
tigerdoc616
Just seemed wrong to have Molina suit up in anything but Cardinal red.
Rsox
Yadi/Wainwright returning to the Cards, Realmuto and probably Gregorious to the Phillies, Gardner to the Yankees, markets for some players never seemed to develop. Even Springer to the Blue Jays was widely guessed as far back as the end of last season. Remember when the offseason was exciting?
GregF
It had better be as a backup. And that goes for Fowler too. I am tired of the guys not getting a fair shot. And don’t say, “well. in limited plate appearace they haven’t done nothing.” It’s called playing everyday, and not sitting on the bench when you have a bad day or two. So,you can stop typing now, and become a small bear fan.
Rsox
Herrera is likely a year or two away and Knizner is not going to take away many AB’s from Yadi. The Cards could bring Wieters back as he was decent for the Cardinals
BlueJaysMania
I think Yadi still has a lot to offer the Cards. Have a feeling he will have a better offensive season this year.
troll
molina’s market played out ahead of him, leaving him to sign with st louis, or play his i’m just going to retire card.
Rangers29
Yep, and Michael Brantley signed with the Jays…
gdjohnson
One year, one million is all Molina is worth. Spending any more money on this primadonna would be a waste of funds. Truthfully,he isn’t even worth a roster spot.
YourDreamGM
I guess 7 or 8. I could be wong.
PiratesFan1981
Good for Molina and Mainwright. Retire with a team they started their whole career with. Not many clubs will give guys like this a chance for one last Hoorah before riding into the sunset. If Cards find themselves in the World Series in 2021, I’ll be rooting them on to finish their careers on top of the world. Hats off to them and the organization for their loyalty and dedication to one another. From a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, I wish the Cards the best of luck this year.
drewm
Good! He’s so washed up he’s practically driftwood
a37H
Ok so unrelated to this article, how was the average WRC+ 90? I thought that the average for stats like that was always 100
mdecav
Written poorly; prob meant to be for catchers.
bravesfan
Media would like to add some drama and make you think this wasn’t a sure thing all along… but DUH…
cards81
The haters are really showing…Molina is still one of the best even at his age…the jealousy is unreal
CaseyAbell
Yawn. Molina has been a smidge above replacement level for the last three seasons. He’s still a big favorite with the fanbase and the Cardinals don’t have any other promising catchers. But the signing won’t make much difference one way or the other. You could say the same about Wainwright.
Now the Arenado news is intriguing. He had a much better 2020 than either Molina or Wainwright, and his previous numbers were fantastic. He’s still relatively young, so acquiring him could have a real impact.
LordD99
Replacement value is what it would cost to get a player at league minimum. No, you still don’t get a Yadier Molina on the waiver wire when factoring in he remains a strong defender, even if off his peak.
themed
I watched every game last season and Yadi still best catcher in the game and not even close.
Dad
@themed -Yadi is a very good version of his old self. He’s great under pressure ( still) but the best? That’s a little bit much.
I will say, when the team has been boring for too long , he’s the only player left in baseball ready to throw a chair out on the field and go For Real WWE brawl! Love the passion!
Mjshof
As expected. Now does he do the same petulant dance next year, accept a reasonable offer early in the offseason or just retire after this year ?
IMO – he plays games again, waits for fans to be back in the stands and takes a victory lap. If fans return this year he may announce retirement before the end of the season.
its_happening
Cardinals made the right choice here. Unless the Brewers can push them, the Cards should run away with the AL Central.