Yadier Molina is returning to the Cardinals, the team announced on Monday night, ensuring St. Louis will have the only starting catcher it has known for the past 17 years behind the plate in 2021.
The deal is for one year, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, and is reportedly worth $9 million, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
The agreement comes after Molina played for Criollos de Caguas, Puerto Rico’s representative in the Caribbean Series, this past week, where he faced off against Cards teammate Carlos Martínez (Dominican Republic) on the first day of action on Jan. 31; the DR took home the championship over Puerto Rico on Saturday. Molina hit .192 while catching five of six games in the tournament (DHing once).
Molina, 38, will be entering his 18th season -- all with the Cardinals. The nine-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner (and four-time Platinum Glover) is coming off a .262/.303/.359 line in 42 games during the pandemic-shortened season.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2000 MLB Draft, Molina has appeared in more games (2,025) than any Cardinals catcher, and only two -- Stan Musial (3,026) and Lou Brock (2,289) -- have appeared in more among all Cards players. Molina, who owns a .281/.333/.404 career slash line, ranks in the top 10 in Cardinals history in bWAR, at-bats, hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs, extra-base hits, total bases and several more categories.
More important than the accolades is what Molina does for the Cardinals’ pitching staff, which is set to feature an open competition for the final spot. But with Wainwright returning, the Cards can rely on a pairing that has worked more than 300 games in concert. The club has also been rumored to be in the hunt for another arm.
Behind Molina, the 2021 Cardinals have Andrew Knizner, 26, who played in eight games in 2020. While he’s seen as the heir apparent to Molina, the club may believe he still needs some time to develop into that role. St. Louis also signed Tyler Heineman, 29, to a Minor League contract in November, and he’ll have a chance to compete for a backup spot in Spring Training, too.
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February 09, 2021 at 09:30AM
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Beloved Yadi returns to Cards: 'I'm back!' - MLB.com
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