Yesterday, B.J. Rains of FoxSportsMidWest.com reported that the St. Louis Cardinals and catcher Yadier Molina have tabled talks of a possible contract extension. Molina, who’s entering the final year of his current deal, and the Cardinals have decided to hold off on negotiations, at least for the time being.
This situation may seem all too familiar to Cardinals fans, who watched all-world slugger Albert Pujols fail to reach an agreement with St. Louis last spring before signing with the Los Angeles Angels this offseason.
Molina said that his representation and the Cardinals have been talking contract for the past two weeks. Now, with Spring Training underway, Molina noted that he’s now “trying to concentrate on winning another championship, not worrying about contracts”.
St. Louis and Molina do seem to have mutual interest in ultimately reaching a deal. For his part, Molina said that he’d “like to work something out” because he loves the city. At the same time, Molina does realize that baseball is a business for the Cardinals and that it’s a business for him as well.
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak added that the Cardinals “desire would be to find a way to sign” Molina. Mozeliak said that the club will continue to try and get something worked out with Molina and his representation early. If that fails, Mozeliak noted that both sides also have the offseason to negotiate.
While he has enjoyed his time in St. Louis, Molina wasn’t ready to say he’d give the Cardinals a hometown discount. Molina said that while he does enjoy the city and franchise, he has to think about his family. Molina said that he has to worry about his family the way the front office worries about the team. Molina ended the discussion by saying that if he gets “good money” from the Cardinals he’ll take it but if he doesn’t that he’ll “go away”.
Molina will turn 30 this season and is making $7 million in the final year of his current contract. Over his eight seasons with the Cardinals, Molina has maintained a batting line of .274/.331/.377. This past year was Molina’s most productive at the plate. Over his 518 plate appearances, Molina hit at a clip of .305/.349/.465 with 14 home runs, 32 doubles and 65 RBI’s.
The catcher has won the National League’s Gold Glove award as the best defensive catcher for the past four years, and has been named to three straight All-Star games.
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