7:49pm: Molina will earn $9MM, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. He’s a client of MDR Sports Management.
7:24pm: It will be a one-year agreement, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets.
6:50pm: The Cardinals are nearing a deal to re-sign free-agent catcher Yadier Molina, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. This isn’t a remotely surprising development, as multiple sources reported a little over a week ago that Molina would remain in St. Louis.
Molina has been a Cardinal dating back to the 2000 draft, when they chose him in the fourth round. He debuted in the majors in 2004 and has since batted .281/.333/.404 with 160 home runs in 2,025 plate appearances, though simply citing his offensive numbers doesn’t do Molina justice. He is, after all, a nine time-All Star and a nine-time Gold Glove winner who has always been a highly regarded clubhouse leader and could wind up in the Hall of Fame. The soon-to-be 39-year-old Molina also has a pair of World Series on his resume, further adding to his mystique in St. Louis.
Molina received interest from other clubs earlier this winter, but a return to the Cardinals has looked like an inevitability for weeks. A reunion between the two has seemingly become even more probable since the Cardinals kicked their offseason into high gear in late January. Dating back to then, they have re-signed right-hander Adam Wainwright, who’s close with Molina and also ranks as a franchise icon, and swung a massive deal with the Rockies for superb third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Molina, assuming he returns, will once again line up as the Cardinals’ No. 1 catcher in 2021. While Molina isn’t the star he was in earlier years, he did bat .262/.303/.359 (passable relative to his position) in 156 plate appearances last season and throw out an eye-popping 45 percent of would-be base thieves. It appears he’ll once again mentor younger Cards backstop Andrew Knizner during the upcoming campaign.
Molina’s exit from the open market will take away another option at catcher, which is arguably devoid of starting-caliber free agents there. MLBTR ranked Molina as the 32nd-best overall free agent at the start of the offseason and predicted he would re-sign with the Cards on a one-year, $10MM contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Overrated
Best damn catcher I’ve ever seen, and that’s from a life-long Brewer fan. Dude is still always a tough out and a genuine gamer. I hope to get to a few games in the next few years to see him do his thing. How his knees and back still work is beyond me.
Let’s go 12 right now. Tied for 44 before this pick. I’d delete my account if I got less than 10.
You must be really young then
Literally the best defensive catcher of all time. Both eye test and statistics back that up. I don’t know what world this guy lives in. If anything Yadi is underrated. Should be 1st ballot HOF
Defense is overrated too. Best defense is a good offense. That said, I always liked Molina and he was a pretty good ball player. HOF? 1st ballot? Not deserving of that.
Pudge Rodriguez was up there defensively.
Steve Nebraska…no, even though I’m a big fan of Yadi he doesn’t break the top ten best catchers of all time. Here’s some reading material for ya.
espn.com/mlb/story/_/page/mlbrank_top100catchers/r…
You clearly have no idea what it means to be a hall of fame catcher
Molina has 2/3 the resume of Bench and the other true greats. He’s just a media favorite. He’s not a HOF
Carter is ranked too low. I wouldn’t have a problem ranking him as high as No. 3.
@Lurking: Lol, you’re just
jealous because your SJW-team in either Chicago or Boston doesn’t have legacy players on staff.
And that’s why Johnny Bench has complimented Yadier Molina including his HOF worthiness
“Oh, I do. I really do. The longevity, first of all. He’s a leader. A great catcher, a receiver, a thrower. He hasn’t ever hit for a lot of power, but he’s hit in clutch situations. The RBIs have built up. I was amazed when they gave him the new three-year contract, I’m thinking, ‘Why at this age?” I was broken down by that age. He’s such a good physical specimen and keeps himself in shape and he’s such a clutch hitter. The numbers are there.” – Johnny Bench on Molina
He will be in the hall of fame you’re right. The Cardinals hall of fame. That’s it.
Ted Simmons never makes those lists of best all time. Strange. Simmons wasn’t the best defensive catcher, but as hitters go, he ranks…what? top 5 best? And, as a reminder for all those saying Yadi is a 1st ballot hall of fame guy: it took Simmons like 50 years to be inducted.
That entire list has no defensive stat included, dude.
You can’t get in just on defense bro. Cmon man.
He is not literally the best defensive catcher of all time. That would be Bob Boone. The HOF is reserved for the best of the best and Molina’s numbers aren’t even close when compared to current members. His numbers compare to Jason Kendall. Does he belong in the Hall? It would be borderline criminal to put Molina in the Hall and yet snub catchers that might not have had his defense but were definitely more valuable to their teams with the bat like Jorge Posada and AJ Pierzynski. You can’t put him in the Hall just because of his defense either. Every team has a great defensive catcher. They are the backups because they don’t hit enough to justify starting. Molina had had 3 great years with the bat and the rest have just been decent to good. Ivan Rodriguez was just as good defensively as Molina and way better with the bat. He should be a good comp for a HOF catcher. Put next to Pudge and you see where Molina only belongs in the Hall of Very Good. JAWS is imo the best measurement of a Hall bound player and according to it Molina is about 10 points shy. If he does get in it will be on the 9th or 10th ballot. 1st ballot just because he was great on defensive is laughable. Finally, if Thurman Munson and Bill Freehan are not in the Hall, players like Molina and Mauer shouldn’t be getting anywhere close.
There is this guy. His name is Ozzie Smith
The HOF is reserved for the best of the best? Surely that’s sarcasm? It’s full of mediocre players! It’s long been the Hall of very good and anyone who says otherwise is in denial or is just stupid.
Ozzie Smith says you are wrong
That article is pretty outdated it was written in the middle of the 2016 season Molina has almost 500 hits since then, won a Gold Glove and had 2 All-Star appearances
tell that to ozzie smith he was a 1st ballot god and he got there for his glove at best ozzie was a avg hitter just got alot of key hits like yadi. if you wanna judge how good a catcher is then take a good look on a teams era and other pitching stats.
Yadi is without a doubt HOF worthy and will one day be pretty easily elected. The big question is whether or not he is a first ballot selection. Which is a pretty good question, he is truly a fringe first ballot guy. His #s do not put him in first ballot without question. However the intangibles such as being a leader, face of an iconic franchise, and seemingly all around good guy help him. Personally Id say he should get in on first ballot with 2 caveat’s, he ends his career with Cards. If he hangs on a year or 2 elsewhere I think it will diminish a bit his iconic stature within Cards franchise. Second the rest of the ballot he is on. I do not think him going in year one is pressing enough to bypass another worthy player who may be in their last year on the ballot or even take away from players gaining traction in voting in the final few years on the ballot. So if the circumstances are right, Id say Yadi should go in 1st ballot. If not him having to wait a season or 2 would in no way be an injustice.
Bench, Fisk, Munson. Let’s just say he’s probably the best since Mauer stopped catching.
Don’t forget Bill Freehan
Posey > Molina
Both Munson and freehan had better careers to date and aren’t in. Molina gets hyped because of how thin the position is in its current state. Good player yes, hall of fame? Hell no.
Bench, Gibson, Berra, Fisk…top 4 catchers all time
Campanella. The more I think about it the further down the list Yadi drops. Defense? Sundberg Boone Santiago Carter Crandall Lollar. also it took Yadi 20 years to hit 150 homers even with steroids he did and a juiced ball.
PeteWard8…Cochrane too.
Good call Balk. I’m not allergic to defense but it gets overblown. Yadi averaged 100 hits and 8 homers a season and everyone just sweeps that under the rug.
I remember there was serious calls to enshrine munson right after he was killed in the small aircraft air accident he was involved in. While he wasn’t, i figured he would make it anyway he was that good behind the plate and with the bat. was Fisk-munson all thru the 70’s as serious 1-2 as the hands down best overall in the league. And bench ruled the game. All3 could throw, catch and really hit. I give them all advantage over anything game has seen since, Rodriquez, Mauer.. anyone else included
One guy everyone has left off the list of great overall catchers is Ellie Howard.. Mostly NYY great who could catch and hit with the best back in the 50’s and 60’s.
Seriously?! Yadi’s defense in his prime was better than all of those guys save for perhaps Bench and Pudge! If you combine his spectacular defense with his passable offensive numbers, then he’s a Top 10 catcher all-time and worthy of the Hall of Fame, just probably not on the first ballot.
Are you saying Ozzie Smith didn’t deserve the Hall due to his relatively mediocre offensive stats? Molina may not have been at quite the same level of a defensive wizard and certainly never had Ozzie’s speed, but it’s a similar argument, and at least Molina has hit well over 28 career home runs.
Yadi didn’t roid, and there’s never been real accusations that he did. I buy that at least Sundberg and Boone were great defensively (and hit even less than Yadi, in Boone’s case). But the roiding? Bogus and BS.
Of course Yadi does steroids. Naive to believe he doesn’t use. Wake up.
Of course he does not. Stupid to believe bogus claims. Go back to sleep.
@PeteWard:l “20 years to hit 150”? Friend, you need some serious math help. Looks like that NYC schooling you received just didn’t cut it.
Never heard any claims on Molina, bogus or true. If you need a positive urine test to believe someone is doing or did steroids that’s your choice however naive. But I would never refer to you as stupid for the choices you make.
Chicago, Catholic school. Admit I didn’t look it up but you get the idea. 17 years 160 homers is 9.4 a year. lousy
Posey had 5 good years man. That was maybe a good argument until posey’s body broke down. You know whose body didnt break down yet? Yadi. All you haters should go look up the steal attempts per team since 2005 and notice the cardinals and the bottom of that, separated by hundreds to the next best team. Dudes better than all you haters think.
SocraticGadfly With all the testing MLB does now for illegal substances, wouldn’t these Molina haters think he would’ve tested positive by now, especially for steroids? i wouldn’t be shocked if these same people start making accusations of Arenado being on steroids because he is now a Cardinal.
Posey had one MVP season over Molina, Yadi is older than him and had the better defensive career and still is doing his thing, Posey being younger should last at least five years and he won’t, anyone saying posey is better is just saying that cause he’s an American.
Munson objectively did not have a better career. Yadi’s career war is higher. You are massively undervaluing defense which is Yadi’s whole schtick.
WAR is a counting stat, so to compare Munson who only had 11 seasons before he died, to Molina who’s at 17 seasons and counting, is totally misleading. And the best catcher of all time was Johnny Bench, both offensively AND defensively. Look up Bench’s WAR: Molina’s not even close.
“Munson objectively did not have a better career. Yadi’s career war is higher.”
Gee, wonder why???
Saying Yadi had a better career than Munson is like saying Bob Boone was better than Carlton Fisk.
You’ve had awful takes, Nebraska. This one might be the worst yet.
No. That would be Posey
Every team’s backup is great defensively. So by your logic they should be the starters? Posey is more valuable because of his bat. Bob Boone was the best defensive catcher of all time. Who would you pick to start for your team, Bob Boone or Johnny Bench?
I’m sorry but Bob Boone is by far the best defensive catcher of all time. Boone, Gary Carter and Pudge Rodriguez were all better defensively than Bench. Of course Bench was the best overall catcher of all time but defensively he was just great. There have been a few that were elite.
Some out you people should actually watch a player play over the years, before deciding whether he’s any good. Molina is the coach on the field, watch the pitchers and infielders and what Molina does with them. “Stats” are not the only measure of a player.
Kcmap – that is a take I 100% agree with regarding Yadi’s measurement as a valued player. His baseball acumen is why I hoped the Blue Jays would acquire him.
Oh he’s on steroids because he takes care of himself? Gtfoh. He dedicated himself to getting into better shape over the years. Don’t make false claims.
As for the deal itself? Reasonable, and glad the Cards held the line on one year.
Next? The mound, as plenty, PLENTY of money comes off the books in 2021.
I’d pay 3/$40 for Odorizzi in St. Louis. Not sure what I’d give for Paxton. socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2021/02/cards-resign-y…
That doesn’t mean they have the money to spend this season. The money doesn’t come off the books until next season, so you’ll have to wait until then for a big free agent signing.
It’s not like they really need any more pitching right now, anyway. If C-Mart and Reyes flop and Wainwright starts showing his age, or there are a bunch of injuries, then the idea can be revisited at mid-season.
They can get Odorizzi and still be under the lux-tax line this year.
As for not needing pitching right now?
I stand by what I blogged. Unless Carlos has a major turnaround, he ain’t coming back in 2022. Mo’s NOT picking up his option, short of that. C-Mart has never fully lived up to his phenom hype.
Reyes? With his injuries history, has done even less. Yeah, had a “nice” 2020. Small sample size. Call me back when he shows more.
Waino? Entering his age-39 year. Has already shown his age; just had a bit of a rebound last year, that’s all.
Odorizzi won’t be around midseason. Not as a free agent, not unless MLB wants another collusion lawsuit. So, no on that.
To summarize: The Cards’ rotation was meh last year, probably won’t be much more this year as currently constructed, and per the old adage, you can never have too much pitching.
soc i almost agree with you on odorizzi just not the years for him. yes we could use another innings eater to protect our younger guys and you don’t what your gonna get out of mikolas after tjs. i’m just worried 4 years for odorizzi blocks some of our young kids that can pitch. personally i’d rather see odo on a 2 year deal with an option for a 3rd just in case one of the kids isn’t ready
kripes-brewers: You must be a young’un. Have you ever seen Johnny Bench, Gary Carter or Carlton Fisk play?
Let’s go, this is a good news that the Cardinals are close to re-sign Yadi.
1st Ballot Hall of Famer! Book it!
themed: Insiders like Rosenthal, Olney, Kurkjian have all said the consensus was that once he reached 2,000 hits, he was a lock. Probably would’ve been anyway, but that that would seal the deal.
Hopefully those insiders will no longer be allowed to vote by the time Yadi is eligible. Wishful thinking
Hopefully you grow a brain.
Veteran’s Committee
Veterans committee is the only way that hot dog santo got in.
Yadi will enter the same way as Santo. I don’t think either are true Hall of Famer’s.
Many insiders, who are voters, have said he was a lock once he reached 2,000 hits, which he did last year. He’s going in on the regular ballot. Whether first or not, I don’t know. But he won’t have to wait for the veterans committee.
I’d sure hope I can get a bet on that on FanDuel.
Hall of famer… yes. 1st ballot? There are so many hall-of-famers that didn’t come close year 1. Yadi won’t be a 1st ballot… 3-5 years is my guess.
He’s arguably also the best defensive catcher of all-time. He’s a slam-dunk 1st ballot if we don’t find about him sending unsolicited pee-pee pics.
Bench is the best defensive catcher of all time: it’s not even close.
Cubs fan, huh?
K david
Was gonna say the same. A product of being “average” in a position in which the average is typically below average. Also helps to play for cardinals
Tatsumaki – you should watch baseball a little more often if you think the catcher position, and Molina specifically, are overrated. Your lack of baseball intelligence is frightening.
@binnington50 Yadier is not the reincarnation of a deity whose soul was put into the body of a baseball player. That reputation is the thing that will push Molina into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, when the truth is, he falls short of many of the benchmarks depending on what stats you prefer. Molina has amassed roughly as much fWAR as Russell Martin and Brian McCann over their careers, and while both are good players, no one has dubbed them sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famers yet. He was indeed an excellent defender as he was winning his Gold Gloves. But since he’s spent much of his career as a mediocre-to-bad hitter, the brakes should be pumped on the assumption that he’s a future Hall of Famer.
I watch plenty of ball and Molina gets his fair share of hype although unwarranted. His defense is good but he is no bench nor is he pudge Rodriguez. By all means allow the tv screen to tell you otherwise.
No one has compared him to Pudge or a Bench. But he quite obviously is a HOF’er. His skills are far beyond the defender that he is and the fact that runners are tentative to steal bases on him – for good reason. His offensive skills aren’t great, we all know that. To say that the hype about him is unwarranted is just plain idiotic to say.
Both Munson and freehan had better careers to date and aren’t in. To say he is a lock is moronic, the position is thin and allows for overvaluation of a player. He’s not even the best of his generation Mauer > posey > Molina
He’s a good player but saying he’s a lock for the hall is a stretch. If we’re going strictly by bWAR, here’s how he stacks up against comparable players:
Mauer: 55.4
Posey: 41.8
Molina: 40.4
Martin: 38.8
I don’t think Russell Martin will even last a year on the ballot, yet people are saying Yadi is first ballot? Seems a little sus.
Now you’re just grasping at straws. That’s cute. Mauer was nothing of a defensive catcher compared to Molina and how many WS wins does he have? How many playoff wins does he have. Molina is the heart and soul of a franchise that has so many playoff appearances and victories but I’m sure he head nothing to do with that. Go away until you can come back with something, ANYTHING of a legitimate argument.
He’s has similar war, war7, dwar, owar and jaws to Jim Sundberg. He’s not a lock for anything hall of fame related. He had a great 3 year stretch of offense and defense but a lot of mediocre to below average offense to go with those gold gloves.
He’s a 40 WAR player. Just because Cardinal fans like him doesn’t mean he gets to go to the hall of fame.
It’s so cute how delusional everyone is and how much you like to deny. Get your tickets for his HOF induction while you can. It’s going to be great. They’ll be service crow for all of you.
I don’t get how everyone agrees that he is one of the best defensive catchers ever but then at the same time say he isn’t a HOF. To me, being one of the best defenseman at the position that a defenseman needs to be great most of all in the game should matter. Molina is a HOF because he was one of the best defensive players at catcher…catcher is a defensive position…a pitcher gets in by his defense not his offense…but yet we ask the position of the catcher, which is a defensive position first like the pitcher, to also be great at offense? In which Molina wasn’t horrible on offense…and he is a clutch hitter
@cards81 by your logic andrelton simmons the shortstop is a lock for hall being the best defensive short stop since ozzie smith. To be in the hall you have to be all round great, Molina while great defensively is below average offensively outside of a handful of years. No one other than brain dead dregs that call themselves cards fans think he is the best defender. Again not even the best of his generation mauer > posey > molina
Lol ok say that to all his gold and Platinum gloves he has earned…that was not my logic at all…my logic was the “catcher” not “shortstop” is a defensive position like the pitcher…in which the pitcher is voted in by his merits as a defenseman but yet the catcher who calls the game and keeps runners close will also catching every pitch doesn’t get the merit that the pitcher gets…Posey was not as great defense as Molina… but hey good try
Let me know when Mark Belanger makes the hall!
I guess Jason Heyward in too
Mauer didnt catch very long. Got the lions shar of his production at first base. and DH after age 30. Even before 30 he DHed 30 games a year.
Lol love how iml12 doesnt get that the catcher is way more important defensive wise than any other position but the pitcher…but Cubs fans what you going to do
If you’re so stupid to think Molina can hold Bench and the others greats jock, you’re a freakin idiot homer
In 6-7-8 years when all the emotional homer fans chatter disappears writers will look back at his numbers objectively. His numbers are borderline at best.
Lol welcome to the chat Lurking, glad you have some useful information that we can use…why bother with people like you lol
Munson and Freehan didn’t have Molina’s defense. Neither did Mauer. Posey at least comes close to Molina’s overall level depending on how the rest of his career goes.
WAR as it currently is doesn’t even come close to accurately measuring catcher defense. It’s a poor tool for analyzing catching candidates for the Hall of Fame unless he’s primarily an offensive catcher like Piazza.
Freehan did have the defense.
Like Ozzie Smith, Molina has still done enough offensively (including 2000+ hits) to combine with his defense to overall make him Hall-worthy. Simmons hasn’t had that same kind of passable offensive success.
If you use fWAR the Yadi has 10 more career WAR Baseball Ref massively undervalues catcher defense. I trust fangraphs a lot more.
Oh so catcher is the only position that’s “defensive”? That’s very convenient for your argument.
Haha Molina was a better hitter then Simmons
Mauer….When half your ABs come at first and DH….You re not a catcher.
Except, Steve NE, Fangraphs is including framing stats for recent catchers. It’s not apples-to-apples if comparing catchers that played the majority of their careers before 2010.
@tatsumaki-chan go ask the pitchers that threw to yadi and ask them if he is a hof. also i think as a whole we get caught up in numbers both traditional and new age and we forget that this game isn’t mlb the show 20xx and games aren’t played by a mathematical equation.
Sorry brodie-bruce it doesn’t work that way. Otherwise we’d have to start the Charlie O’Brien Hall of Fame case because he was one of the smartest catchers of his time. Evidence by the number of Cy Young winners he personally caught during his career. But O’Brien is nowhere close to being a Hall of Famer, as he shouldn’t. A great mind for the game behind the plate is a luxury that doesn’t show up on the WAR or on any website like Fangraphs. Yadi has it. Charlie O had it. But it doesn’t automatically send them to Cooperstown.
“A product of being “average” in a position in which the average is typically below average.”
Uh, ok. At least that made sense to one of us. And then the guys you compare him to are a guy who only caught for 2/3 of his career and a guy who they literally had to change the rules for so he wouldn’t get his fragile ass hurt again lol.
Average players don’t win 9 Gold Gloves and 4 Platinum Gloves.
Below average defenders win Gold Gloves courtesy of their bat.
You people saying he’s overrated know nothing about the game. Shouldn’t be allowed to commit here if your that ignorant.
I just posted the stats. You can interpret them anyway you’d like. I think he’ll get into the HOF but to say he has had a better career than Joe Mauer is lunacy. “I’m a Cardinals fan and I say he’s better” isn’t a compelling argument.
Hes had 40 war in his career he’s 39. A hof min is 60 for almost every player
There’s a stat
He’s in the hall of good defense and media fanboys
Better career? Lol.. Would Joe Mauer even qualify to enter the hall as a catcher?
The fact that you’re using war as your benchmark makes your argument mute. WAR historically undervalues catchers. You cannot accurately compare molinas WAR to Ted Williams, or any other hall of famer, and get an accurate picture. I’m a cardinal fan who admittedly has a bias towards Molina, however I do understand most anti-Molina arguments. This one is just plain false though.
@jkinser20
You’re completely misrepresenting my argument. What I said is that Yadi has virtually the same career WAR as Russell Martin who was also a catcher his whole career. So saying “WAR undervalues catchers” is meaningless when I am literally comparing two catchers.
Here’s a stat for you. Yadi is a Hall of Famer’
@c-daddy i still say yadi had a better career than mauer that being said i will give the knock to joe that he had the better off career but overall i’d give it to yadi.
It’s not meaningless because Yadi far outpaced RM in extremely important categories that are not captured by any advanced statistics. There’s a reason people argue Yadi is one of the alltime greats and nobody does for RM. Advanced stats are not the be all end all because there’s so much they cannot capture that contributes to a players greatness. It is the most noticeable at the catcher position.
How could you say such a thing.
Johnny Bench is by far the very best complete catcher of all time. Yadi is fantastic but he’s nowhere near the all around catcher that Johnny Bench was with the Reds. That poster who said that you must be pretty young has to be correct. If you had ever seen Bench play then you would’ve never said that Yadi was the best catcher ever.
That’s where your wrong, Molinas pitch calling behind the plate is second to none. His leadership and how much he helps the pitching staff largely goes unnoticed there are no advanced statistics for that. If there were Molina might be a 70 WAR player.
Overrated is just silly. It’s a defense first position and he he’s running out of room for the gold gloves. In his prime he was an average to above average hitter for a catcher. You couldn’t run on him, he blocked about every wild pitch, and you better not lean too far off first he’ll throw behind you. What a leader too. Studied every hitters tendencies and played with a fire that’s hard to find in a catcher who’s caught that many games. Best I’ve seen in my lifetime that’s all I can say
As long as it wasn’t Nightingale’s report, this should be a no-brained.
Who??? He is not better than piazza
I hope this is a joke. Offensively he is not better than Piazza but comparing their defensive skills is crazy. Piazza was nowhere close to Molina defensively. Molina will go down as one of the greatest two way catchers of all time. That’s a short list
2 way? He can’t hit. Lol in 17 season only 7 has he posted an ops+ over 100. In the 10 seasons he didn’t have over a 100 ops+ the median average was 85 ops+ massively overrated. More than half the time he was below average both to start his career and recently on his decline.
7 seasons of OPS+ over 100 for a catcher is DAMN good. Avg for a catcher is 80ish, not 100.
No. It’s not. It’s good RIGHT NOW
Becuase the other “potential” greats couldn’t last 10 years at the position. You have to be a impact player on BOTH sides of the ball for 15+ years to be a HOF catcher
it’s crap in the history of true hall of fame catchers. Get off his jock
Yeah, Molina outranks Piazza defensively just as badly as Piazza outranks Molina offensively at one of two positions where a player’s defense actually matters more than his offense.
Piazza should have even been a catcher and I’m sorry to speculate but something screams roids about him too
San Luis better to give actions to Yadi
Yadi is a drama queen.
You must be a Cubs fan. It’s called intensity. I know you have guys like Rizzo saying 162 is too many games, but Yadi says he trains to play over 170 because that’s how many it takes to win a championship.
No dude, he’s right! What’s worse is Yadi’s oldest brother goes on local radio when his contract status is up in the air & literally stirs the pot only it could be worded another way like stirring up $”*+ and it’s happened multiple times. And because of that tactic, I’ve lost some respect for both Benji & Yadi.
No matter who you cheer for, you have to admit his reaction when I think Hamels hit him was downright embarrassing. There’s a difference between being intense and not being able to handle your emotions.
Based on what??
Wow. So many haters coming out right away. Jealousy isn’t a good look.
“He’s Still Alive. They Hit Him With 5 Shots And He’s Still Alive!”
Bottom line, Molina makes an average pitching staff better…while opposing teams remain reluctant to run-steal bases.
The Fabulous Molina Brothers. His other two brothers were catchers as they played for the Angels.
Oh I got another one right….do I get a cookie?
Kinda messed up that they strung him along this long. I like the Cubs, thus cannot stand the cards, but he is 100% cardinal, and should never play for anyone else. Unless he will come to TB …
They didn’t. It was his first time as a free agent, so he wanted to see what was out there and test the market. And he rightfully deserved to do so. They waited and welcomed him back.
There was a report that he felt disrespected by their offer.
Strung him along? I thought he has been busy playing ball in PR, no?
He has been waiting to sign from what I have read, regardless of what else he is doing.
They had to make sure they could afford him? Really? And so you think Wainright is more important than Yadi? He said all along he wanted to stay in StL, and all reports pointed to him staying or possibly retiring. (No one was giving him 3/30, and he knew that.)
I stand by my post. He should have been signed up front–and funny thing is, I have read many others on here say the same thing. He belongs in StL.
They were working out the Arenado deal to see how much money they had to spend for 2021. It took months for that deal to pan out, I guarantee they kept Yadi in the loop on why the discussions played out the way they did.
Not really. He?was waiting for a multi year and couldn’t find it. Him playing ball was an excuse. If he would’ve found a 3/30 or 2/20 …..he would’ve jumped on it.
I think you mean 2025 games not PA’s
I saw the same thing and thought, damn I know he’s got 2,001 hits, and in only 2,025 PA’s? Yadi’s been swinging a hot bat.
So how many future HOFers do the Cardinals have on their current roster? 4, maybe 5?
1 (Molina) maybe 2 with Arenado who else
Who know maybe Carlson or Jack Flararity.
That’s funny themed.
At best 3. Yadi, Goldy and Arenado. Yadi is the only one that could quit playing today and make it.
Wainwright should get some votes.
As much as I love Waino he has zero shot at the hall.
If biggio can make the hall waino at least has a shot
Thats comparing apples to oranges. Biggio has over 3000 hits, its different standards for a hitter.
Waino has had a great career but if you compare him to the last 5 starting pitchers that got in, Mussina, Halladay, Randy Johnson, Pedro and Smoltz he clearly does not belong in that group and he’s 39 so its not like he can do much now to move into that category.
Edmonds deserved more consideration than Waino will and he didn’t make it past the first year on the ballot.
You have to wonder what Waino’s resume would look like if he didn’t lose two prime seasons to injury, though.
I think Wainwright came off Tommy John surgery and threw 190 innings. Not too shabby.
Not asking to be a jerk, but who would the 5 be? I can’t really come up with 5 unless I’m missing someone.
I’m assuming you mean Yadi,, Goldy, and Arenado, but I can’t really think of anyone who could be a 4th or 5th.
Goldschmidt/Arenado need to continue to produce into their mid-late thirties, which is hardly guaranteed. Probably more like 2 HOF guys unless someone young ends up with a career of sustained success.
You guys got Goldschmidt going to the Hall of Fame now? Lol
Not you guys only that guy
I don’t have Goldschimdt in the hall now, but going into his age 33 season it’s still very possible for him to make it if he continues to produce over the next 6-7 seasons. Not that many other players are in that position in their early thirties.
Just for simplification’s sake, the average 1B in the hall of fame has a career WAR of 66.7 according to baseball reference and Goldschmidt has 45.1 WAR going into his age 33 season. Not saying WAR is the end all be all, and he clearly has work to do, but it’s not unreasonable to speculate that he’ll be in the conversation one day.
It just totally depends on how he plays into his mid to late 30s. Odds are he will decline due to age and won’t have the career stats for it, but there is a path that if he continues to hit he may be able to get in.
Flaherty and Carlson would be the next two possible names at 4,5. Just a bit too early to tell on those guys lol
There’s Yadi, good odds on Arenado, Goldy could be a borderline case, and the possibility at least exists with guys like Flaherty and Carlson.
On that note, assuming both Pujols and Yadi get in, the Cardinals will have played with at least one future Hall of Fame player on their roster (counting stuff like the disabled list) at all times dating back to the debut of Rogers Hornsby on Sept. 10, 1915! No wonder they’ve only finished in last place twice (1918, 1990) during all that time!
One team Hall of Famers are really cool in the free agency era. Jeter, Edgar, Rivera, Chipper, Bagwell, Biggio…soon Molina hopefully
Hopefully Kershaw and Trout stay put. Could be the last of their kind
Soto
Soto? I mean at that point you could start saying that any hot young player with a couple good seasons is a future HOF candidate.
I love Soto, Acuna and Tatis, but maybe we should check back in when they’re 30 before anointing them future HOFers?
And check back when they’re in their 30’s to see if they are still with their original team.
Actually, they were similarly rare before free agency, as well. The free agency era also has a few advantages in that regard such as guaranteed, long-term contracts and fewer monetary disputes that lead to unhappy players wanting or needing to be traded. Even all-time greats like Willie Mays and Hank Aaron often wound up traded towards the end of their careers.
True
Done deal!
Could wind up in the HOF? First ballot!
If yadi is so overrated…..Why do central division fans hate him so much?
Has he fought every Central team in a brawl?
Just the Reds…
Mets and detroit hate him too.
AJ Pierzynski for the Hall of Fame!
He was a real PITA. Love him if he’s on your team and hate him the rest of the time even the offseason with your team
He whines about calls a lot and he wears a stick em suit
I still have the Milwaukee Brewers winning the NL Central. Offensively, St. Louis just doesn’t stack up. If 2020 Jack Flaherty shows up this is a 3rd place team in the incredibly weak NL Central. Goldschmidt is more of a big name than he is a big bat anymore. Let’s see how Arenado hits outside of Coors. No real reason for teams to give Arenado anything to hit. If you pitch around Arenado, you have last year’s St. Louis lineup minus Wong to face. That is scaring nobody.
Offensively they don’t stack up to the Brewers? LOL
Their best hitter had a bad year last year and the rest of the lineup is light
Also the Brew Crew pitching staff is Ummmm not good.
Brewers pitching staff is just fine, thanks very much. It’s actually the best in the NL Central. I’ll take Woodruff, Burnes, Williams, Yardley and Hader over any other Central Division team’s top five arms. Throw in Houser, Peralta, Suter and Rasmussen, and you have a decent staff.
Thanks for laying out how not good the Brewers pitching staff is Cactus Jack
Like I said ….. The Brewers are going to win the NL Central! Nobody in the NL Central is gonna win any beauty contests …… but the Cardinals are not the best team in the Division….. I will take the Brewers starters and then you add in Devin Williams and Josh Hader …… What does St. Louis score …. 3, 4 runs the entire series???
You’re welcome. Burnes was in the Cy Young conversation until he had a poor final start last season. Woodruff is an ace – All-Star. Devin Williams was the best relief pitcher in baseball last season. Hader is Hader, had one blowup game last season that skewed his stats, but dominant rest of the year. Yardley is sneaky good and no one hit him. If that’s not good, then please give me “not good” all season again this year as Brewers fan. And as much as I dislike Molina, he’s a great player and HOF. You’re lucky he’s back. I was hoping he’d sign with the Angels.
You do know that pitching staffs have more than 5 guys, right? The Cardinals’ rotation is just as good and has better starting depth behind them, while their bullpen is much better.
Brewers scored 7 more runs then the Cardinals last year. The Cards basically swapped Fowler for Carlson and Wong for Arenado. The Brewers swapped Braun for Wong
Which is not that impressive considering that they had 24 more bombs than the Cardinals did, but not as embarrassing as the fact that the Reds only scored more than St. Louis and Pittsburgh in all of baseball despite ranking 7th in home runs, behind the Dodgers, Braves, White Sox, Padres, Yankees and Twins.
i’m not saying the brew crew can’t win the division there a good team but to say there pitching is best in the nlc can i get some of that lsd your taking cuz you have to be hallucinating if you think that the brew has a better staff than the cards.
How are St. Louis fans ripping on ANY team for a lack of offense???? The Cardinals were among the worst offensive teams in baseball!! Goldschmidt looked like the guy Arizona knew he was before they traded him. No Ozuna was not good for St. Louis. Is there a worse offensive outfield in baseball???? You guys speak of Yadi offensively like he is some sort of top tier run producer. He is not!!! Arenado??? Good defensive player. Offensively, the jury is still out. Especially outside of Colorado! There is a reason why the Dodgers opted to pay Trevor Bauer $85 million over 2 years vs. 6 years of Arenado at $150 million when you factor in the $50 million Colorado paid. The Dodgers looked at Arenado and said no thank you! Arenado only agreed to come to St. Louis after the Dodgers rejected his services. Otherwise, he wasn’t coming!
Wow Very Berry I didn’t know you were part of the Dodgers front office…my apologies for underestimating you…love how you try to lump everyone together…keep up the good work
Just calling it like it is ….. I ain’t no Dodger fan ….. I am South Side of Chicago with my White Sox all day! I hate the Cubs more than ANY team in all of sports!! Just calling the Cardinals situation like I see it!
Yes they were, as they only scored more runs than Texas and Pittsburgh, were last in home runs, only had more hits than Cincinnati, 4th lowest Slugging Percentage, 5th lowest OPS, 9th lowest OPS+, 9th lowest Batting Average and were last in Total Bases.
Sure glad they play the games on the field and not on paper. Results/scoreboard are hard to argue against.
Lol, the Rockies refused to deal Arenado to the Dodgers, had absolutely nothing to do with LA. They wanted him.
Goldschmidt is more of a big name than he is a big bat anymore…lol seriously just don’t comment if you are going to say ignorant things…and the oh no outside of coors theory…Yelich is more of a big name than a big bat anymore…I mean let’s compare last years stats between the two…get a clue bud
Let’s have Milwaukee offer Christian Yelich in a deal straight up for Paul Goldschmidt. St. Louis takes that deal immediately!!! They even throw in Dylan Carlson!!! Take off the St. Louis goggles. The Goldschmidt regression started long before 2020.
They would never make that trade…and they definitely wouldn’t throw in Carlson…I mean I think your just being facetious but seriously you are definitely delusional
I was using the over the top trade to make my point of how much better of a player that Christian Yelich is than Paul Goldschmidt.
I know…I said I thought you were being facetious…but good for you
Yelich is better, yes, but Goldschmidt is still a likely All-Star. Did you see how well he hit last year? He would’ve been an All-Star had the game been held.
Barry, we don’t even have a 3rd baseman, our catchers are average at best, and no true #4 batter to cover Yeli. Starting pitching is still a question mark, although most fans feel positive about it for a change. Some real issues to resolve before we could pass the Cubs and Cards without a serious run of luck. Not quite enough raw talent… yet
The NL Central is the worst division in baseball!! Just because St. Louis added Arenado ….. they did nothing else …….. that doesn’t cover up all the warts this team still has. Milwaukee in my opinion is the best of a bunch of really bad baseball teams. Milwaukee, with all the holes that they have, are still better than St. Louis.
How you dodged a coat hanger for nine months, I’ll never understand.
A differing opinion about baseball causes you to make references about coat hangers? 9 months like a pregnancy? …… I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND!!!
@very barry i stated in an earlier post the brew are a good team and can challenge for the nlc but kripes laos our the brew pretty good. i’m gonna take what kripes says because he watches the brew and i do not. offensively the brew are most likely better but d and pitching wise cards are better
And that’s why Milwaukee finished ahead of STL last year in the standings, right?
Ooooooooooooffffff. Good luck with that prediction.
Check back here at the end of the season?
2020 Jack Flaherty is very unlikely to show up, and Goldschmidt is very much still a big bat. You have to pitch to Arenado the many times Goldy (or someone else) will be on 1B when he comes up. If Carlson’s late-season breakout was for real, then the lineup only gets that much better.
Anyway, while you’re correct that the Brewers probably have a better offense, the Cardinals have much better pitching. Beyond Flaherty, they have 3 former All-Stars, a Korean import who had a good rookie year, and a former Top 100 prospect who finally stayed healthy last year as the 6th or 7th starter. There are some question marks there, but then they have easily the best bullpen in the division.
Connor- 2025 games not PA
That’s 2025 games played, not plate appearances.
He’s been a great one but I still think it’s borderline he makes the Hall.
Jeeeeez. Took that long to settle on 1 year 9 mil??
See my post above–apparently a bunch of “insiders” can explain it to you lol.
I agree. Should have been completed right away.
Wow…..no one expected that!!
Yadi first ballot. Truth is Chicago White Sox/TLR were trying to recruit him. I believe the kicker for him just as much as wanting to finish this career as a Cardinal was the Sox already had Grandal.
9 mil??
davidk1979 what about Realmuto? he is real overrated
If Harold Baines gets in the hall so does Molina.
all this nonsense for a 1 year deal at 9mil… Realmuto is better this this guy.
Yes Realmuto is better currently. I don’t understand why that matters.
“Realmuto is better”
Good detective work lol. Which mystery are you solving next Sherlock?
Yeah he makes HOF. Good both defensively and offensively (good enough) plus played for just one team plus he’s respected or at leasted liked in most circles
Pudge statistically DOMINATED Yadi. Doesn’t bar Yadi’s consideration, but it does give perspective on the offensive side of the coin
2844 vs 2001 Hits
311 vs 160. HR
.798 vs .737 OBPS
.46 vs. .40 CS
Probably the best ever (assuming he was clean).
Yeah, and Pudge is one of the best catchers ever to play the game (perhaps only 2nd to Bench) and a deserving Hall of Famer. That doesn’t mean Molina doesn’t also deserve the honor.
Solid catcher but similar to Jim Sundberg, with a better bat.
Let’s go Cardinals
Not enough catchers in the HOF, period. See also, 3B. Catcher especially, though, is THE pre-eminent defensive position in the game, yet the HOF seems to be restricted by catchers who hit like first basemen, even if they can’t really catch (*cough* Piazza *cough*).
Yadi is one of the consummate catchers to ever play the game, and his longevity at the position is a part of that. Guys like Posey and Mauer had higher peaks for sure (and both should also be in the HOF), but I think Yadi has to be given credit for his ability to stay behind the dish, effectively, as long as he has. Not to mention is handling of the pitching staff, which we’ll never really be able to quantify.
There are other catchers of the past mentioned on this thread who also should have been in and should be let in, but I just think Yadi is one of the best examples of what the position should be. If he’s not a HOFer, than don’t let anyone in who isn’t Pudge.
^well said
This is exactly right. As soon as you start throwing around WAR as a stat to evaluate catchers, you have already set yourself up for failure. They cannot and should not be compared to the rest of the positions on the field when their offense is the SECONDARY concern of the position. Yadi has been one of the few true two-way players at the position and his defense has long been heralded as the gold standard at the position. See, Yadi’s trophy case. If that’s not a hall of fame catcher, then why even put catchers in the hall.
It’s not just that. WAR is notoriously inaccurate at measuring catcher defense in the first place.
Bench’s defense is the gold standard at the position. (Big) Hands down.
Yeah. Look up how many years Molina started 100+ games at catcher, and then go and do the same for Posey and Mauer. Really puts things into perspective. Not to knock those guys because they are/were good, but this guy has been doing the dirty work for a long time, and that’s what catching is all about.
Also, catching at age 38 is crazy enough, but the fact that he’s the starter is even more impressive.
There have been some other great two-way catchers besides Pudge like Bench and Posey, but yeah Molina is right up there with most of them.
Got a deal based on mlbtr predictions, but I still think it’s a tad high at this stage. Nickels and dimes at this point though
Yadi is a HOF’r. No he isn’t Pudge, but that doesn’t matter. He was the best defensive catcher in baseball for an 7-8 year stretch and hit enough.
“may end up in the hall of fame”
yeah, only the best catcher of the last 20 years
Yadier Molina’s Hall of Fame candidacy – finally something we all can argue about anonymously on the internet.
9 million for one year is insane.
However, as someone who is not a Cardinals fan, I’m totally fine with this.
Hopefully, Molina doesn’t have another mishap with the sticky stuff.
Not a huge fan of Yadi and his drama but…
It’s actually blowing my mind how many people on here seem clueless about offensive production from the catcher position. And knocking Molina because he isn’t a power hitter is such laughable nonsense.
Qualifying a players offensive production for any reason is a red flag. He is a good hitter for a catcher. No he isn’t. 100 hits and 8 homers a year is lousy. At any position in any era.
Your made up stats have convinced me lol.
117.7 hits a year and 9.4 homers a year. I was close enough and you get the idea. He still stinks as a hitter. for a catcher lol.
So? He still had several years of above league average offensive numbers, and that’s good enough when combined with his defense. Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith had 129.5 his and only 1.5 HRs per year.
Besides, it’s not fair to count 2020 in with those averages or failing to account for the extra days off that even a workhorse catcher like Molina must take. He had 160 hits and 13 HRs per 162 games.
I agree. He’s no better than former
Cardinal catchers Mike Matheny, Walker Cooper, and Tim McCarver. Not nearly as good as Ted Simmons.
Okay, he’s a tick above Tom Pagnozzi and yeah…..I’ll definitely take him over Dave Ricketts and Joe Garagiola!!
I know people dont like to talk about it but has anyone ever found out what caused a ball to stick to his chest protector? Never seen something like that and have always been curious. I know there is this general acceptance that pitchers use substances to get a better grip but this just seemed out of the ordinary.
I think he has more than 2000 plate appearances. That might be an error.
Nice to see so many jealous people on here trying to diss Yadi. Just made me realize we have been watching a legend now for 18 years. It’s great to be a Cardinal fan!
If you give Yadi a cookie…
He could learn how to fish?
2025 plate appearances? NO. That’s 2025 games played in. He has over 7800 plate appearances during his MLB career.
Maybe you’re both right? One plate appearance a game played in? How do you know for sure. Were you there?
He looks more and more like Tom Brady every day.
1st Ballot Inductee
“Could wind up in the Hall of Fame” LMAO !!!!
He has ZERO chance at HOF … check his #’s ….
He had a hall of fame career!
Definitely the all time best of his era!
One thing y’all miss about Yadi is that the Cardinals never have had a great pitchers. They have had more than 2 decent pitchers on their teams, Yadi made a lot of bad pitchers look okay and a bunch of Okay pitchers look very much above average.That gets overlooked. He’s a general on the field,and IS a 3rd or 4th vote HOF’er
More like a 5th or 7th
i want ask this question in yadi’s playing time who was a better catcher overall. trying not to be a homer i think the best catchers in the last 20 years is buster and yadi (i don’t count pudge because he overlapped his gen and this era of mlb). i feel what both guys did for there teams and at advanced age there producing you have to give both buster and yadi good looks in the hof. btw i’m not a sf guy i follow the cards there my my home team but i do recognize great players on other teams and i think we should be greatful we get to see guys like buster yadi kershaw etc.
Steve Swisher. Jerry Grote.
Yada yada yada. Mojito