There are only a few people that can realistically compete for the title of "face of the franchise" for the post-2000 Cardinals.
Adam Wainwright is certainly a candidate, as he's been on the team since 2005 and has spent several seasons as the team's undisputed ace, leading the majors in wins twice and pick up three All-Star selections along the way. Albert Pujols also immediately comes to mind, becoming perhaps the greatest player in franchise history -- up there with Stan Musial and Bob Gibson -- but we all know that his reign in St. Louis ended after the 2011 season when he was granted free agency.
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But is there too much debate, all things considered, that Yadier Molina is the face of the franchise for this team over the past 20 years? Nine All-Star selections act as proof that he's one of the sturdiest backstops the league has ever seen, and despite the young talent like Jack Flaherty and Kolten Wong and the star power of Paul Goldschmidt, Yadi still won The Athletic's fan vote for favorite Cardinal.
That's what makes the recent news of Molina's willingness to consider free agency even harder to stomach.
According to ESPN's Marly Rivera, the 37-year-old catcher has changed his previous state of mind, which was that he would either come to an agreement on a contract extension with the Cardinals or call it quits. Now, however, he wants to continue his career after the 2020 expiration of his three-year, $60 million deal, whether it's with the Cardinals or not.
One big factor? Coronavirus.
"The situation with this pandemic has changed everything," Molina told ESPN. "Right now, I'm thinking of playing two more years.
"The reality is that this business is difficult for a 38-year-old catcher... but I feel ready to keep playing."
Molina mentioned that he was conflicted whether or not he would want to continue his career after the 2020 season, but because the season has been reduced and may be taken away entirely, he feels that he wants to keep his career going. He also said that he's "optimistic" that there will be a season in 2020, but is concerned first and foremost with health and safety.
It would certainly be a rare sight to see a player switch teams after 16 years with the same club, but it's not unprecedented. The most obvious example across sports is Michael Jordan joining the Wizards after retiring from the 1998 Bulls, but in baseball, we've seen examples of this with Frank Thomas (16 years with the White Sox, before spending parts of three seasons with the A's and Blue Jays) and John Smoltz (20 years with the Braves before spending one season with the Red Sox and Cardinals).
