Could Molina be next to go?

[love_that_reefer]

Per MLBTR

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina's agent, Melvin Roman of MDR Sports Management, said Tuesday that his client will not discuss a potential contract extension once the regular season begins, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Molina, 30 in July, is an extension candidate as he enters his final season before free agency, although extensions talks have recently been put on hold. Roman intends to remain in Florida for several days to potentially resume extension discussions, although nothing is imminent on that front as of now, according to Strauss.

"It could be tomorrow. It could be two days. It could be two weeks," Roman said. "If they want us to come back, we'll come back."

Molina, a right-handed hitter, owns a .271/.331/.377 career line with 55 homers in parts of eight big leagues seasons and is generally considered among the game's best defensive catchers. He's believed to be seeking a five-year deal with an average annual salary of $10MM, Strauss reports.

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said he and Roman talked on Tuesday but declined to comment on whether those discussions included the parameters for a potential extension.

I find Molina to be the best all around catcher in the game and it would be painful to see him go but the Cards don't need to go crazy to keep him. I would like to see three more years of Molina in St. Louis and that's about as far as I would go. No need to go past his prime. I just hope the Cards don't let another fan favorite go elsewhere.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

I find it hilarious that agents refer to it as "if they want us to come back then we'll come back" like they have some value to the team. Makes me sick.

[love_that_reefer]

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Cardinals and Yadier Molina are close to a five-year contract extension in the range of $70-75 million.
The new deal would put Molina in the range of $14-15 million per season, which would be the second-highest AAV (average annual value) ever for a catcher behind Joe Mauer's current deal. This contract would be wonderful news for fellow catchers Miguel Montero, Mike Napoli and Russell Martin, who are all scheduled to become free agents next offseason. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Monday afternoon that Molina's deal could be finalized by Friday.

Looks like the answer to the question in the title is "HELL NO!". Wow!! I cannot believe the Cardinals are giving Molina this much money! It's not only overpaying for the best defensive catcher in the game, it's setting a bad precedent. Potential free agent catchers are praying this deal goes through. I hope the reports aren't true because this is just a terrible deal and I like Molina a lot.

[Tobywan]

Mauer already set the precedent and this deal overall is a lot cheaper.

[love_that_reefer]

Mauer and Molina aren't in the same league so no, the precedent was not set with Mauer. This sets a precedent for Tier 2 and below catchers. Montero, Napoli, Ianetta and Martin are all going to benefit greatly next season because of this deal, not Mauer's.

[Tobywan]

Mauer and Molina aren't in the same league so no,

That is probably because most think of someone being in a certain "league" as it relates to them in offensive terms not so much in the player's "worth" at his position or to his particular team. This is a guy that has been a workhorse for the Cardinals, a different team though might have a different opinion on where or who they would rather put that kind of investment.

[love_that_reefer]

I really don't get the point you are trying to make. Mauer came off of a MVP season and was worth far more to his franchise. Only Mauer and Piazza have made more annually. Still doesn't change the Cards setting a bad precedent here. Teams do it all the time.

[Mach]

Thanks STL for fucking the catcher market.

[love_that_reefer]

^Somebody gets it

[Tobywan]

Just how much is Mauer worth now? Jorge made the same as Piazza. Tek, Pudge and Kendall all made $10 + in contracts and that was many years ago (surely the price has gone up a bit even for someone not in their “league”) and Kendall wasn’t an MVP or coming off of a WS win.


We are talking at least half of what Joe makes for a guy they drafted and paid little to, then a little more and a little more. Now, they want to reward him substantially, fuck the market. He is worth it to them and it won’t cripple their payroll down the road like the offer to Pujols.

I do get it, just because you don’t agree, too bad. This precedent should be set more often, after paying your home grown player the usual minimums, reward him with what you can afford if he is hearty and continues to grow and perform for your team.

[love_that_reefer]

Fuck the market? That's exactly what the Cardinals did! Terrible precedents should be set more often to the detriment of baseball? Molina wasn't making the usual minimums and now the Cards will be overpaying for his decline.

[love_that_reefer]

Miguel Montero cut off extension talks early. Gee, I wonder why

[realmofotalk]

Thanks STL for fucking the catcher market.

Looking forward to Carlos Santana finally making his Dodger debut in 2016. #Leaveland