St. Louis Cardinals and Yadier Molina Reportedly “Making Progress” on Extension
By Brad Faber
The St. Louis Cardinals appear to be getting closer to extending All-Star catcher Yadier Molina.
Yadier Molina, who is set to enter his 14th MLB season, has never played for any team other than the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently signed through the upcoming season with a $15 million mutual option ($2 million buyout) for 2018.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag sports, the Cardinals are now “making major progress” on extension talks with the All-Star backstop. Heyman also reports that the specifics of the deal being discussed are not yet known at this point, but Molina originally wanted a four-year extension. Initially, the Cardinals reportedly came back with “a two-year offer.”
Per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Molina does not want to discuss contract negotiations during the upcoming season. The Cardinals will open up their season against the rival Chicago Cubs on Sunday night, which leaves only a handful of days for a deal to come together.
Molina is already 34 years old and many teams might be hesitant to sign a catcher through his late 30s. Given his track record, however, it would be hard to argue that he hasn’t earned a multi-year extension.
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Over his 13-year-career, Molina has made seven All-Star teams and earned eight Gold Glove awards. Some have also begun to wonder if Molina’s impressive career may one day be Hall of Fame worthy.
Since coming into the big leagues in 2004, Molina has always been known for his stellar defense behind the plate. He has also matured into an impressive hitter as well, hitting over .300 five different times since 2008.
Of course, Molina missed a considerable amount of time with a thumb injury in 2014 and had a bit of a down year at the plate the following season. However, Molina had a terrific bounce-back season in 2016, slashing .307/.360/.427 (110 OPS+) with eight home runs and 58 RBI across 581 plate appearances.
Last season, Molina’s 2.4 fWAR ranked fourth among qualified National League catchers. He trailed only Wilson Ramos, J.T. Realmuto and Buster Posey.
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Molina has helped the Cardinals to four National League pennants and two World Series titles. He has clearly been a cornerstone for St. Louis. At this point, it would be difficult to imagine him playing for a different team. It will be interesting to see if the Cardinals are able to keep him in their uniform for a few more years.