Yadier Molina will remain a one-club man. The All-Star catcher agreed to an extension with the St. Louis Cardinals that will see him playing one more season with the franchise in 2022 before retiring from MLB.
The Cardinals confirmed the agreement, reportedly worth $10 million, on Tuesday.
Back in 2020, Molina entered the free agency for the first time in his storied career after failing to agree on a new contract with the Cardinals. The two-time World Series champion said at the time that he has a goal of playing for two more years and would be prepared to go somewhere else to achieve it.
Eventually, the Cardinals and Molina managed to strike a one-year, $9 million deal to remain together. The agreement ended up working well for the franchise, considering that the 39-year-old is playing a solid season that saw him batting .259 with eight home runs and 51 RBIs in 94 games in 2021.
Yadier Molina played a total of 2,119 MLB games with the Cardinals in the past 18 years, ranking at No.3 on the franchise’s all-time list. Aside from helping bring two World Series trophies in St. Louis, he earned 10 All-Star nods and received nine Golden Glove Awards. Molina’s career stats include a .280 batting average, 168 homers, and 983 RBIs.
“We are pleased to announce that Yadi has agreed to cement his career legacy with the Cardinals for a final season in 2022,” said Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. “His experience, leadership, work ethic, and winning desire are all part of what we value as an organization.”
