ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - It's been reporter here before and it's worth noting again that both Yadier Molina and the St. Louis Cardinals have said they want to get a deal done to keep the future Hall of Fame catcher in St. Louis.
But in free agency, anything can happen.
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The latest report about Molina, who is a first-time free, comes from Radio.com Sports insider Jon Heymann who says six or seven teams have called Molina and his agent with interest. Those teams include the Cardinals, New York Yankees and New York Mets.
Molina came back from a battle with COVID-19 in 2020 and hit .262 with 4 home runs, 16 RBI and a .662 OPS in 42 games.
Although Sabermetrics experts aren't big fans of Molina's output, his ability to run a pitching staff is unquestioned and would be valued in any organization. Plus, he's a proven winner with two World Series rings and has played in a Cardinals franchise record 11 postseasons.
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The Mets being a suitor isn't necessarily notable, given that the team has already declined Wilson Ramos' option for 2021 and even new owner Steve Cohen has mentioned catching as a need; the team does have two young backstops in Tomas Nido and Ali Sanchez and No. 2 prospect in the lower levels, but adding a veteran like Molina may be the perfect scenario to mentor those younger catchers, and also work with many of the young arms behind Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
The Yankees, however, are perhaps somewhat of a surprise suitor, given both the status of Gary Sanchez and their payroll proclivities. Sanchez is eligible for arbitration this winter for the first time, and MLB Trade Rumors projects him to make $5.6 million, a huge raise from the roughly $700K he made in 2019. There has been scuttlebutt about the team possibly looking to trade Sanchez, and while J.T. Realmuto's name is rightfully linked to just about every team, any check-in on Molina might show the Yankees' hand on Sanchez further.
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