St. Louis Cardinals: Yadier Molina says he’ll retire after the 2020 season

St. Louis Cardinals All-Star catcher, Yadier Molina says he’s likely to retire following the 2020 season…

St. Louis Cardinals legendary catcher, Yadier Molina is quietly putting together Hall of Fame worthy career. Not only behind the plate, where he’s known for his cannon of an arm and savviness as an in-game manager, but at the plate as well.

It appears that his tenure with St. Louis Cardinals, and baseball for that matter, will wrap up following the 2020 season, where the perennial Gold/Platinum Glove award winner recently expressed plans for his next potential contract.

“Three more years. That’s it.”

His current contract has three years left, expiring following the 2020 season, with $60 million guaranteed. Molina is entering his 15th MLB season, where he continues to play at an All-Star level.

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Even though Molina’s string of Gold Gloves ended in 2015, he continues to play at that caliber. His offense is still among the best among Major League catchers, hovering around .280, with some pop and clutch hitting to go with it.

Will Molina’s heir apparent, Carson Kelly be willing to wait three more years to take the reigns? Who knows, but as long as Molina stays healthy, behind the plate duties are his for the next three years.

Molina says that family is the reason for him calling it quits after 2020, where the 35-year-old has found the fountain of youth, still playing like he’s 25. He believes his Cardinals squad has more postseason runs left in them, where Molina expects to hoist the Commissioner’s trophy a few more times:

“I can’t wait to grab that trophy in November or October. “Three more championships.”

Those may seem like bold claims, but maybe Yadi is onto something here. With the addition of Marcell Ozuna, and hopefully a few more additions, that dream may be closer to reality than most might believe.

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If Yadier Molina continues his string of elite play, the St. Cardinals are a threat to the Cubs, the rest of the National League Central, and the entire MLB, for that matter.