Adam Wainwright

The Cardinals have made offers to re-sign both Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright, team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said during an interview as part of the Cards’ “Winter Warm-Up” event (done in virtual fashion this year).  Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides added details on these offers, noting that both Molina and Wainwright were offered less guaranteed money than they were supposed to earn in 2020, prior to the pandemic-induced prorated salary cuts.

This isn’t a surprise in Molina’s case, as his offensive downturn in recent years was naturally expected to result in a new salary worth substantially less than the $20MM average annual salary on his previous contract.  Wainwright’s one-year deal for the 2020 season, however, paid him $5MM, and it certainly seemed plausible that Wainwright would top that more modest sum in his next deal.

Though Wainwright turned 39 last August, he has still looked like an effective big league arm, tossing 171 2/3 innings in 2019 and posting a 3.15 ERA over 65 2/3 frames in the shortened 2020 season.  Overall, Wainwright has a 3.91 ERA, 20.6K%, and 12.7K-BB% over 237 1/3 innings since the start of the 2019 campaign.

MLBTR projected Wainwright for a one-year, $6MM pact, with the raise reflecting his solid work in helping carry the Cardinals’ rotation while the roster was ravaged by a COVID-19 outbreak.  If the Cards aren’t willing to hit even the $5MM threshold in guaranteed money, it could increase the chances of Wainwright pitching elsewhere in 2021, and changing teams for the first time in his career.  The veteran told ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers that he had “recently” fielded offers from multiple teams, so it would appear as thought Wainwright has options if he indeed isn’t satisfied with what the Cardinals have put on the table.

Molina has also recently indicated that he could move on from both St. Louis, and even from his playing career altogether if he doesn’t find an acceptable offer.  Molina has been known to be looking for a two-year deal, which could be difficult given his age (38), his aforementioned dropoff at the plate, and the fact that several teams looking for catching help this winter have made other acquisitions at the position.

Of course, there is still plenty of time for either or both of Molina and Wainwright to come to an agreement with the Cardinals.  As Rogers notes, “industry executives” still feel that the two players will ultimately return to St. Louis, and both players have also repeatedly stated that their first choice is to play at least another season in Cardinal red.

It feels odd even to contemplate different uniforms for longtime Cardinals Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright, but it’s far from certain either or both will remain in St. Louis. Mark Saxon of The Athletic provides an update on the state of ongoing talks between the club and these grizzled veterans.

While both players are pushing forty, each has clear appeal on the market. Molina is considered a master of his craft behind the dish and remains a palatable hitter, even if he’s unlikely to turn in any more average-or-better seasons with the bat. And Wainwright has racked up 237 1/3 innings of 3.91 ERA pitching dating back to the start of the 2019 season. Both players rank among MLBTR’s top 50 free agents.

It’s no surprise that the Cards maintain strong interest in retaining both players, neither of whom has donned the threads of another MLB franchise. But it’s equally predictable to learn that, per Saxon, the club is letting the market develop rather than rushing to re-ink Molina and Wainwright.

The Cardinals’ payroll predicament left it unlikely to jump to meet the demands of Molina, who’s said to be hoping for a multi-year deal while “seeking at least a one-year, $10 million deal with a 2022 option.” That’d eat up a big chunk of the available spending for the club, though president of baseball operations John Mozeliak did make clear that he’d pursue an alternative backstop if Yadi heads elsewhere.

In the case of Molina, Saxon writes that early talks didn’t gain much traction. Molina’s camp viewed an initial offer from the Cards as an attempt to lowball the veteran.

Wainwright doesn’t seem to have held many substantial discussions at all, with the Cardinals or other organizations. He says that he has yet to receive any firm numbers from suitors. Wainwright’s contract situation is at least more straightforward than that of Molina, as he could slot into just about any rotation and is said to be seeking only a single-season contract.

“The Cardinals have had continuing discussions” with Yadier Molina’s representatives, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, as the Cards try to find common ground with their longtime catcher on a new contract.  Molina will officially hit free agency five days after the end of the World Series, giving the Cardinals roughly a week to come to terms on a contract extension that would keep Molina off the open market.

Melvin Roman, Molina’s agent, recently stated that his client is looking for a two-year deal.  Molina himself indicated last April that he is willing to play for another team than the Cardinals if it means extending his career, though that also came a few months after Molina said he intended to remain a lifetime Cardinal.

It remains to be seen if the two sides can strike a deal this close to the opening of free agency, as Goold indicated that though Molina is “prioritizing a return to the Cardinals,” the veteran catcher is willing “to hear what other teams think of him.”  Molina has never been a free agent during his 17-year career, thanks to three previous contract extensions with St. Louis.

If Molina did leave, could Adam Wainwright follow?  The right-hander is also a free agent, and after 15 seasons in a Cardinals uniform, has also indicated a preference to remain with his longtime franchise.  In a recent radio interview on the Scoops With Danny Mac show (audio link), Wainwright said he and Molina had briefly discussed their impending free agencies, with the hurler asking his catcher what his future held.

“He goes, ’I don’t know, but let’s go somewhere together.’  I said I agree, let’s go somewhere together,” Wainwright said.

These comments could simply be idle, best-case-scenario chatter between teammates, as obviously Wainwright and Molina have a strong relationship after so many years playing together.  From a more practical standpoint, going into free agency as something of an unofficial package deal could be difficult to coordinate, as Wainwright and Molina are represented by different agencies.  And, Wainwright continued to stress that ideally, both players would continue playing together as Cardinals.

“Neither one of us wants to leave St. Louis,” Wainwright said.  “We both want to be there, so we’ll see what happens.  I know that times are weird…and the payroll flexibility is probably not what Mo [president of baseball operations John Mozeliak] wishes it was, but we’ll see.  I don’t know.”

After injuries threatened to derail his career, Wainwright has pitched very well the last two seasons, including a 3.15 ERA, 3.60 K/BB rate, and 7.4 K/9 over 65 2/3 innings in 2020.  On the flip side, Molina has had consecutive subpar years at the plate, though his 2020 performance was undoubtedly impacted by a three-week absence due to a positive COVID-19 test.