It appears that Yadier Molina and the St. Louis Cardinals are hoping to avoid a second consecutive offseason of the franchise icon reaching free agency before ultimately returning to the only team he's ever played for.
Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report that the Cardinals "are in discussions" with the 10-time All-Star on a one-year contract extension. Woo added that Molina's camp is hoping to at least match the $9 million total that he's playing for in 2021.
Molina -- who turned 39 last month -- recently told Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he hoped to avoid a stint in free agency this offseason and have a new deal done "early." Goold added that the plan was for his representatives at MDR Sports Management to soon broach the idea of a new deal with John Mozeliak and company.
In 2021, Molina is slashing .256/.303/.378 with eight home runs and 49 RBIs. The four-time Platinum Glove Award winner remains a strong defender even at this advanced stage of his career, as he's posted five defensive runs saved this season.
At 61-58, the Cardinals find themselves 12 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, and 4 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres for the second Wild Card spot in the National League.
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