Yadier Molina Now Willing to Leave Cardinals in Free Agency
By Mark Powell
Yadier Molina has played a significant role on the Cardinals for the better part of 16 seasons, but facing a looming decision and potential free agency after his age-36 campaign, Yadi isn't above playing elsewhere.
St. Louis has yet to make a real attempt in planning out 'Life After Yadi', potentially because they never really assumed they'd have to. Molina has been a Cardinal since he was a fresh-faced 21-year-old prospect. Since then, he's made nine All-Star teams and is perennially mentioned among the best defensive catchers in the game, even towards the back nine of his career.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given Molina plenty of time to consider his plans, and suddenly, his future with the Cards is murky.
Yadier Molina tells @ESPN he has changed his mind, will consider free agency if #Cardinals don't extend his contract: “St. Louis is my first option. But if they don’t sign me, I’m willing to go into free agency. This situation has changed my mentality.”https://t.co/jXV28Lgblr
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) April 29, 2020
"I previously said that, if it wasn't with St. Louis, that I would go home. If we were unable to come to an extension agreement, that I would retire. But the situation with this pandemic has changed everything. Right now, I'm thinking of playing two more years," Molina told ESPN in a phone interview.
Yadi is one of the highest-paid catchers in MLB, and is scheduled to make $20 million in 2020, although that number could be proportioned based on the number of games played.
Yadier Molina seems to have changed his mind once more. Interesting update from @MarlyRiveraESPN. https://t.co/EgVyegQ3d7
— Ben Frederickson (@Ben_Fred) April 29, 2020
Whether a negotiating ploy or serious claim, the Cards hope of Molina taking a hometown discount ought to go out the window.
Seeing him in a different uniform come 2021, however, would bring with it a pain once unfathomable to this franchise.