Yadier Molina, Catcher
Position: Catcher
Bats/Throws: R/R
Age: 38
Traditional Stats: .262/.303/.359, 42 games, two doubles, 4 HR, 16 RBI
Advanced Stats: 0.1 bWAR, 0.5 fWAR, 81 OPS+, 82 wRC
Defensive Stats: 1 DRS, 1.1 FRM
Rundown
It’s hard to believe that Yadier Molina is still catching at the age of 38. It’s even harder to see him leaving the St. Louis Cardinals, whom he’s spent all 17 seasons in the big leagues with.
Longevity is one word that comes to mind when thinking of Molina. His older brothers: Bengie Molina and Jose Molina also played close to 15 seasons in the majors, but the baby of the family is by far the best of the trio.
As a nine-time All-Star and Golden Glove winner, Molina has helped the Cards’ capture four pennants and two World Series titles throughout his tenure.
Despite his age, (Yadier) Molina is still a solid performer at his position and has recently drawn interest from both the Mets and Yankees according to MLB Insider Jon Heyman.
Future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina has received calls with interest from both the Yankees and Mets plus 3-4 other teams in addition to the #STLCards as I just said on @MLBNetwork St. Louis is the likely favorite but in free agency you never know. Seeks a 2-year deal.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 12, 2020
As Heyman noted, the expectation is that Molina will return to the Cardinals, however, he is seeking a two-year deal.
The extra year could ultimately be the deciding factor for most clubs given his age and his position, which points to him returning to St. Louis.
There are also three-to-four additional “mystery” teams checking in on him, per Heyman, which makes sense given the scarcity of good hitting catchers in MLB.
In his last full season in 2019, Molina smacked 10 home runs and drove in 57 RBIs while slashing .270/.312/.399 in 113 games.
Molina is a future Hall of Famer and has posted tremendous numbers in his playing career tallying 2,001 hits, 160 home runs, 932 RBIs, and a slash line of .281/.333/.404, which is almost unheard of for a catcher.
He has also been excellent defensively ranking second all-time among catchers with 130 defensive runs saved and first among active catchers with 845 assists.
Recommendation
If the Mets miss out on J.T. Realmuto and James McCann, they could try to pry Molina away from the Cardinals by giving him a two-year deal.
However, they would be much better off trading for 30-year-old catcher Salvador Perez in the final year of his deal and assuming his $14.2 million salary ($13 million base, $1.2 signing bonus) if they cannot sign the ladder two.
Prediction
Creeping up on the age of 40, Molina will return to the Cardinals on a two-year deal worth $20 million, where he will ultimately ride off into the sunset at its conclusion putting an end to a remarkable career.
