Cardinals Reportedly Bring Back Catcher Matt Wieters

Yadier Molina has a reliable backup in place, and Cardinals fans can take a sigh of relief.

Sure, Molina remains one of the best backstops in the National League, but having a stable option behind him as the 37-year-old continues to age is paramount. If the Cardinals want to make a playoff run, they need to keep Molina fresh, and they've done just that by re-signing Matt Wieters.

A major league roster spot is likely for Wieters, who is a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner from his days in Baltimore. While hit bat has slowed a bit, Wieters consistent glove makes him a valuable asset for St. Louis, and frankly one of the best backup backstops in baseball.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak was hopeful such a deal would be done as recent as Saturday, stressing the importance of Wieters.

“I’m hopeful we’ll get Wieters done,” Mozeliak said. “I really am. We still need to dot i’s and cross t’s on that but I’m hopeful that will happen.”

In the past two seasons, Molina has played in just 123 and 113 games, respectively. While fans would rather see the Puerto Rican star on a daily basis, the reality of today's game is that having two reliable catchers is necessary. Wieters fills that role, and then some.