The Cardinals announced they’ve agreed to a one-year contract extension with Yadier Molina. The ten-time All-Star will remain in St. Louis for the 2022 season on a $10MM salary. Molina is a client of MDR Sports Management.
It’s not surprising the two sides were able to line up on terms, as they were known to be in extension discussions last week. Molina was believed to be seeking a one-year deal that matches or tops the $9MM salary on which he’s playing out the 2021 campaign, and he’s succeeded in landing exactly that. Molina didn’t sign that deal until this past January, and he’d been vocal about wanting to avoid lingering on the free agent market again this time around.
Molina’s no longer the MVP-caliber player he was at his peak, but he’s still a productive regular catcher even at age-39. This season, he’s hitting .259/.304/.376 with eight homers across 365 plate appearances, not far off the .268/.310/.388 slash line he compiled between 2019-20. That’s below-average offensive production overall, but it’s still fine work when considering the toll catching takes on players. Backstops have compiled just a .228/.307/.391 mark around the league. Molina’s offensive output is around par with the league average at the position.
That’s without considering his contributions on the other side of the ball. Molina is regarded as perhaps the best defensive catcher of his generation. As is the case with his bat, Molina’s glove has fallen off somewhat with age, but he’s still unquestionably a plus behind the dish. Molina has cut down seventeen of forty attempted base-stealers this season, a 42.5% rate that’s far better than the 24.4% league average.
In addition to neutralizing the running game, Molina has a reputation as one of the game’s best at the aspects of catching that are difficult or impossible to quantify. His once-elite framing metrics have fallen to around league average, but he still checks in as a viable receiver. And the Cardinals no doubt believe Molina brings intangible value from a leadership perspective to the pitching staff and clubhouse.
While Molina should still bring quite a bit to the table next season, it’s apparent his legacy as one of the best players in franchise history plays into the front office’s eagerness to keep him off the open market. No active player in MLB has been with their current team longer than Molina, who debuted with St. Louis in June 2004. The nine-time Gold Glove award winner was an integral part of the Cardinals’ 2006 and 2011 World Series teams. There’s plenty of reason for the club not wanting to risk a repeat of last offseason’s stalemate.
Molina recently hinted that next year could be the last of his illustrious career, and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak referred to 2022 as Molina’s “final season” in the press release accompanying the announcement of today’s extension. Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (Twitter link) notes that the current expectation for both Molina and the Cardinals is that 2022 will indeed be his final year as a player. If that ultimately proves to be the case, he would retire as the rare one-franchise star.
With Molina wrapped up, the Cardinals figure to turn to Adam Wainwright, another impending free agent who has been in St. Louis for ages. Wainwright made his debut in 2005 and has led the St. Louis rotation for a good portion of the past fifteen years. Despite turning 40 years old this month, Wainwright has been one of the better pitchers in the National League this season. Assuming he wants to keep playing beyond this year, the Cardinals would have every reason to look to hammer out an extension with Wainwright as well.
The Molina extension will push the Cardinals’ estimated 2022 player payroll just north of $90MM, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Nolan Arenado ($35MM if he doesn’t opt out), Paul Goldschmidt ($25.33MM), Miles Mikolas ($17MM) and Paul DeJong ($6.17MM) join Molina as players with notable guaranteed contracts on the books. St. Louis will also have to cover arbitration raises for Jack Flaherty, Harrison Bader, Alex Reyes, Dakota Hudson, and Tyler O’Neill, among others. The Cardinals opened the 2021 season with an estimated $163MM payroll.
St. Louis could look to address the rotation and middle infield this winter. Catcher, where Andrew Knizner has struggled in limited action as Molina’s understudy, would’ve been a question mark in the unlikely event Molina went elsewhere. It seems the Cardinals are prepared to roll with a Molina-Knizner pairing again next season, and top prospect Iván Herrera could be worked into the mix midseason with an eye towards 2023. The lion’s share of playing time behind the plate at Busch Stadium will fall to Molina, as it has for the past sixteen years.
Katie Woo of the Athletic first reported the agreement and its terms.
Oh good, now he can afford to get more tattoos tattooed over his existing tattoos.
Salt
Why is this something that bugs you? I’m genuinely curious
Who said it bugged me? Where did you come up with that?
Then why did you bring it up? Would you like him to buy you a tattoo or two?
Penguin Cey: He brought it up because he wanted to. WTH do *you* care?!
Him bringing it up makes him look like an idiot. Why does it matter what someone else looks like?
Cey Hey – why are you responding then? Hypocritical much??
Cey: Just go get yet another tattoo and stop stalking people, you frail cognitive-dissonanced Weirdo.
Why do you think I’m into getting tattoos? I support marijuana legalization even though I’ve never smoked the stuff (that is, I truthfully never inhaled).
If you don’t want responses to your posts on a public forum, then don’t post them.
I have a few tatts and would like a few more. I’d LOVE Yadi to buy them for me (or sit next to him in the parlor while we each get a freshie together).
camdog: Tattoo-getting implies a mental disorder. More tatts equals more nuts.
It’s 2021. If you don’t have a mental disorder, then there is something wrong with you.
Sven Nebraska: To whom was your ‘You must be fun at parties’ quip directed?
The guy who hates tattoos and says ‘whom’ is probably a hit at parties.
Steve Nebraska 2
A.D.37 0
Please link scientific evidence that getting tattoos is related to a mental disorder. That way the rest of us can be as educated as you.
I love you, Steve.
Gomer Nebraska: Even more asinine, moronic “feedback” from an obtuse dolt.
Sven: At least you admit your debilitating pathologies. I’ll give you that.
It’s obvious, Penguin. Pull your head out.
Wow, pardon me while I slam the mute button
A.D: You okay, dude? Maybe go touch grass for a few minutes.
AD’s mom left him home alone today, I guess lmao.
Some see it and smoking as being more grown up, or part of some “order” and agree it’s not normal. Remember when graduated from navy boot camp and half the guys rushed to get tattoos, like some right to passage, or mental derangement i thought and surprised how many in uni back then started smoking only because those around them, not to mention px/exchange supplied tobacco was dirt cheap.
A.D. just might be one tree short of a hammock.
The Field 10
A.D. 37 0
A.D. says tattoos signify a mental disorder then has a full on breakdown
Obviously not true. Many people have many tattoos, myself included. Just wondering why anyone cares that someone comments on it. I’ve seen people with really great tats, and they often get told how good they look. If someone can comment in the positive about a person’s appearance, I don’t see why the gripe about commenting in the negative. I certainly wouldn’t mind if some random internet person had something negative to say about alterations that I have chosen to make to my body.
A.D. 37 has left the chat
His ambulance showed up.
@monkey are you sure he’s not two trees short with his hammock just laying on the ground?
johnrealtime: What an odd comment. Do you severely hallucinate at all times, or just when you’re ingesting hallucinogens?
OR…….are you just a really really really really really clever and hilarious comedian who was being super super super super super funny??
waste of good ink
Lloyd: LOL!
Awesome.
To be fair, based on personal experience I usually assume heavily tatted people are trying in vain to compensate for their boring personalities, but I wouldn’t put Molina in that camp.
I think it’s just a matter of boredom combined with access. If you enjoy getting them, and can afford it, then you might end up heavily tattooed. The reason that most people stop with just a few is likely due to the cost
Calcetines: That’s precisely what they’re doing. It’s all about insecurities. But don’t try to inject 😉 logic or obviousness into a conversation with these very, very, very, very clever wordsmiths and hilarious comedians who replied to me with their genius jabs about hammocks and ambulances and, like, other talent-demonstrating quips.
He ought get a Mr.Met tattoo, that would be sweet.
I called his salary to a T! Pat me on the back!
Pat pat pat…..
I know I am sarcastic ,but Thank You!
There’s no T in salary
resign Waino next then Albert to be DH once it gets added to the NL in the CBA so the fans have somethings to cheer for while we finish 3rd.
It would give Albert a Chance at 7oo Home runs.
Pujols is no longer an everyday player and seems happy where he is. Don’t be surprised if he stays put as he’s been a west-coast for a long time.
His wife and kids still live in the St L area and it would give him a chance to retire with yadi and waino while chasing 700. Is it the most likely outcome? Probably not if he wants one more ring before he retires but he really doesn’t have anything left to prove so why not retire here being treated like a living legend?
Waino next and then be done with them after that.
Done with them? Is that how you view people who’ve been major contributors to your organization for a long time?
They aren’t spring chickens and you need to see what’s next in line. Yes, they have been great but everything comes to an end.
Have you Wainwright lately? He’s still one of the best pitchers in the league. Both he and Molina are winning players. What’s next in line needs examples like that to build off.
Dude I don’t know if you saw the same game on Sunday on TV that I saw in person, but spring chicken or not Waino is a beast. 8 shut out innings and 9 Ks?! Unless you’ve got a better and realistic replacement Birds, I think you gotta let Uncle Charlie float
Second in MLB in innings pitched and a 3.10 ERA. Every team in baseball would want a pitcher like that.
If Waino comes back and pitches next year anywhere near as well as he has this season, I see no reason for him to retire at that point nor for the Cardinals to stop bringing him back.
That seems like a fair deal all the way around
Keep riding that mediocre train to nowhere STL.
Lol “MVP-caliber”
Since he did indeed get a number of MVP votes during his prime, that would make him MVP-caliber back then, would it not?
Chris Davis also got a number of MVP votes awhile back, but does that mean he was MVP-calibre?
But now I’ll miss the months of drama from last offseason, the “will he or won’t he?” when everybody and their grandmother knew he was going to re-sign with the Cards.
Probably should’ve just been a 2 year/$25M deal. I don’t know why, but I have noticed a lot of veteran players get these discounted 1 year deals to come back, they out play the value of that contract and then they get an additional year for a bit less than what they were worth in the discount year, so why not just do a 2 year deal?
I know, I know, this is Monday Morning Quarterbacking and why should I care if a baseball player who’s made the bulk of their career money loses out on a a couple million bucks? I just find the discrepancy interesting. Kinda like when the Yankees declined Gardner’s $12M option, re-signed him to $7.5M, he has a career year, they sign him again to a $12.5M guarantee. They should’ve just picked up his option year. Probably could have got him for less than a $12.5M guarantee after that, or maybe turned the option year into 3 years/$30M, which is roughly what he’ll wind up getting anyway ($7.5M, $12.5M, $4M = 3 years/$24M… close enough in baseball money, horseshoes and hand grenades)
If you go to a store and they have 1 for $10 and special for 2 for $25. Why would you ever buy 2 at a time? Just ring them up separately and save $5.
If the player falls off the cliff one season the team isn’t strapped to a multi year deal and can simply turn the page. Most of the players you’re speaking(Molina, Gardner and the like) of are probably settled down with a home and family, friendly and familiar media members and facilities, even local endorsements that they make a little change off of. There is incentive for the elder player to stay put and do what the team is comfortable with too.
Last offseason, he wasn’t sure whether or not he would play 2 more years.
Besides, the Cardinals only had to pay him $19M going year to year.
Gardner should not have even been a Yankee in 2021. Far better OF out there that could of and would have done a much better job… that coming from someone who liked watching Gardner play for quite a few years.
Pitchers with lower career stats by being
stuck on lousy teams with subpar catchers would have done much better with a Molina behind the plate for them.
greatgame: That’s why you should pay attention only to standardized, adjusted, and neutralized stats.
Every pitcher would do better with Molina catching. Dude gets so many calls in his favor from the umps it’s almost as if he’s the one calling balls and strikes.
Framing is just as much a part of the game as relaying signs from second base or picking up signs from opponent’s 3rd base coach
You mean like J.A. Happ? I doubt it’s the only reason for his sudden turnaround after joining the Cardinals, but Molina is probably at least part of the reason.
Keep Yad in the game until Jose, Benji or Yad have a kid ready for the majors to carry on!
Glad that he is with the Cardinals for another season however I hope that they give another backstop an opportunity to develop at the big league level and that he can learn from the best.
It could very well turn out that way with Herrera next year.
Makes the deal the Braves did with D’Arnaud look like a decently priced resigning.
One is coming up and still young.. the other… well past his prime, headed down the hill… most of it on his past history now….. should be a <50% starting catcher in 2021.
He is the fourth in dWar among catchers and third in the national, second in percentage of caught stealing, second in Dp, he has a number of Rdrs higher than most catchers.
Say what you want but he is still one of the best catchers, and he is the best of his generation defensively, and responds offensively in important moments
Redbirds on their way to being the 2012 World Series favorite. Lock up Waino and everybody is chasing them. Nobody does nostalgia like the Cards. That’s a winner.
Gray’s Sports Almanac right?
You mean 2022? I believe the Cardinals lost in the NLCS in 2012.
Nothing against Molina but if you don’t have a starting catcher under contract for ’22 your SOL. This is the reason that NY will go another year with Sanchez.
Jeff Mathis will be available, just imagine the bidding war for him.
Do the Cardinals sign Trevor Story? There’s not many big payroll teams that need a shortstop. SF just locked up Crawford, Mets have Lindor, Dodgers are set with Turner, I doubt the Cubs will spend money so quickly after selling everyone off. Yankees maybe?
Between Dejong and Edmann they have SS covered. If they re looking to upgrade they would b better suited investing a bit more making a run at Correa or Semien. Id say that $ would b better spent in OF and/or on pitching.
Story wouldn’t be a bad replacement for Dejong who’s bat is out to lunch with Matt Carpenter’s. Number 1 priority though…locking up Flaherty and adding to rotation/bullpen. OF doesn’t concern me with its defensive prowess.
The outfield is just fine as it is, at least among the starting 3.
They could use a middle infield upgrade (with DeJong and Edman fighting for the other spot), but the big boys are completely out of their budget unless Arenado opts out. Assuming Arenado stays, they’ll be looking at the Tier 2 to 3 options. They’ll also need another bat if the NL adopts the DH next season.
I wouldn’t want to get stuck long-term with Baez, anyway, as he’s just a little lost bat speed away from devolving into a significantly below average hitter.
First ballot.
Nah
Wow the real news here is that Miles Mikolas is making $17 million next year. I’m sorry but how in the world did that happen? How does a $5 million pitcher at best get paid like that? His deal is of the multi year variety as well. Mind blown. He should give half of that money to his agent he deserves it.
See Chris Davis. Sometimes projections don’t work out
I know he hasn’t pitched much the last 2 seasons, but did you see how good he was in 2018-19? He’s absolutely worth at least close to that amount if he stays healthy going forward.
The short bus commenters have arrived . Be happy you still have a legend to root for . All you naysayers wanted Wainwright cut a few years ago. Well that calmed down. I never seen such spoiled fair weather fans before.. I live in Pittsburgh . Imagine being a Pirate fan which I’m not, been a lifelong DIEHARD cardinals fan for 45 years . Go Yadi / Wainwright Cards
The short bus commenters have arrived . Be happy you still have a legend to root for . All you naysayers wanted Wainwright cut a few years ago. Well that calmed down. I never seen such spoiled fair weather fans before.. I live in Pittsburgh . Imagine being a Pirate fan which I’m not, been a lifelong DIEHARD cardinals fan for 45 years . Go Yadi / Wainwright Cards
The short bus commenters have arrived . Be happy you still have a legend to root for . All you naysayers wanted Wainwright cut a few years ago. Well that calmed down. I never seen such spoiled fair weather fans before.. I live in Pittsburgh . Imagine being a Pirate fan which I’m not, been a lifelong DIEHARD cardinals fan for 45 years . Go Yadi / Wainwright Cards
The short bus commenters have arrived . Be happy you still have a legend to root for . All you naysayers wanted Wainwright cut a few years ago. Well that calmed down. I never seen such spoiled fair weather fans before.. I live in Pittsburgh . Imagine being a Pirate fan which I’m not, been a lifelong DIEHARD cardinals fan for 45 years . Go Yadi / Wainwright Cards
Say it again. I dare ya.
i didn’t think the comment went thru on my phone, so i hit send a couple more times
Had to post it three times… short bus people do that I hear…. Never an issue with Wainwright as he is truly a professional in aspects. Molina is not in that same category in very many ways. All about Molina. Two very different personalities and attitudes.
Nice to have one of the greatest catchers that ever lived back for one more season. He’s still at his age better than most. He is dearly loved by all Cardinal fans and rightfully so. A no doubt first ballot Hall of Famer. May as well bring even one more World Championship to go out on!
Yes, keep bringing back a player because fans love him. This is why the Cards haven’t won a title in 10 years, yet you think having a 40 year old, NOT first ballot HOF, with massively regressing skills, is going to bring a championship run in 2022? Mr.Dewitt, we know this is you. No need to pose as “themed”. By the way, how are the empty seats at Busch looking?
Name 5 active catchers that can control a game better than Yadi. Sure he can’t throw like he once did, but his bat has improved with age
Control a game. Made up narrative. It’s an insult to pitchers. His bat has improved with age? He hasn’t had an 800 OPS Since 2013. His last three years have been 711, 662, 679. He’s a shell of himself behind the plate, yet people want to say how he’s aged well? This is nothing more than a team and a player padding stats to hopefully reach the HOF. Nothing more nothing less. It certainly isn’t about winning titles.
Actually he has thrown out 42% of baserunners this year, 2nd in MLB. Carson Kelly has only thown out 23%. I hate these fans , if we listened to all the commenters, Wainwright would have been cut 3 years ago., Its all about what have you done for me today with these spoiled fans.
For just $10M and a dearth of starting catchers available in free agency, he’s absolutely worth bringing back for another year. While his skills are regressing, they aren’t “massively” doing so. He still hits above-average for a catcher and remains defensively significantly above-average, especially with his arm.
Besides, not winning it all for 10 years is normal. They’ve still won an additional Pennant, made the play-offs 6 times, and finished above .500 every single year in that time period.
They’re also only 3 1/2 games out from a play-off spot with over a month to go right now.
Also, the seats at Busch aren’t any more empty than most other MLB ballparks right now. Several teams would love to draw 25,000+ per game this season.
What a waste of money…
Your a waste of words
you’re – troll correctly
He’s not better than Pudge defensively.
He’s as good as anyone that’s played the game. The end!
He’s not better than a lot of catchers that have played.
Defensively, he is.
One more year as a Cub killer.
In 2021 Molina was in the top 5 highest paid catchers in the MLB. Chances are he will be in 2022. Worth it?
Players are always paid for they did, not what they will do. We’ll find out next year if Molina is actually worth it. As of now, I’d say yes he is.
If the Angels knew what Pujols would have done, I say they would not have signed him, but they saw what he did, so he got the crazy contract that has become a huge joke in the MLB.
OK, fair enough. It’s hard to compare a 1 year contract with the back end of a 10. At the same time I see what you’re saying.
No he wasn’t. That contract expired after the 2020 season.
yes, he worth 10 million for sure
Just curious, how many catchers have had a better season this year? Molina seems to have earned his money. It is a good extension and is only for one season. Both team and player win this one.
Posey, Will Smith, Sal Perez, Realmuto, Zunino, Stephenson, Narvaez. Smart, good teams employ 2 catchers and use them both.
Yes, most if not all of those names are better than Molina right now, but that’s pretty much it.
You mean smart, good teams that aren’t lucky enough to have a really good starting catcher. If you’re a competing team that has a good catcher, then you absolutely need to play him over 70% of the time barring injury.
His production has definitely fallen off, but the key is to remember just his bad the catching market is as a whole. You can prob name roughly 5 or 6 guys better than Molina at this moment. Beyond that, the falls off quite a bit. You add backup catchers to the conversation and it’s even worse. For 10 mil, his defense and production is very well worth it. Both a testament on how bad the catching marketing is, and how well he’s held up at his age to still be one of the better catchers in the league
i’m assuming your one of those fans who wanted Wainwright cut a few years ago too, I remember all of the people calling for his head. Yadi is still better than 80% of starting catchers at his age. He might get hot again before the season ends to help offensive stats a little. Do you remember how hot he was in the beginning of this season before he got hurt? Nobody was saying anything then. Who would we have back there now Carson who is hitting .258 with 9 HR and 31 RBI and throwing runners out at a 23% clip or yadi hitting roughly the same with way more RBI and 42% caught stealing and can call a game. People dont know what they got til its gone.
We got Yadi back one more year , now lets sign Waino and Pujols for one more year and have them all 3 retire together, wouldn’t that be a great farewell story? I’d much rather have Albert off the bench /playing once in a while than Matt Carpenter , Now you wanna talk about cutting slack? get rid of him and that waste Andrew Miller