Should the St Louis Cardinals be re-signed by Yadier Molina?

Since the start of the ’05 season, St Louis Cardinals fans have known who would be their primary predator every spring, but will he return in 2022?

Since the start of the 2005 season, the St.Louis Cardinals and their fans have known who was their primary catcher each spring, but will he return in 2022?

Among the ten All-Star selections, nine Gold Gloves, Silver Slugger, and a few top five MVP rankings — and votes in three other seasons — the answer to the question “Who will catch the St. Louis Cardinals?” has been Yadier Molina, one of the most attractive and enduring stars in the franchise’s long, layered and proud history.

But Molina or Yadi for so many fans turned 39 in July. He’s not an attacker who was at his best, though he’s still solid on the plate, especially for the kidnapper, a position that traditionally sacrifices the ability of the striker to defend the skill.

And when it comes to defense, Molina is still great. For example, he shoots runners who try to steal on a high frequency, leading large companies with a stealing rate of 43.6%. But age catches everyone, and he’s not as passionate behind the plate as he used to be.

Given the broad picture not only of Molina, but of the Cardinals ’other alternative kidnappers, their competitiveness in the division, and their financial picture, a time is soon approaching when we have to call (re) whether to re-sign Molina or go the other way.

So what is the right decision?

Going back to Molla’s performance today, apparently he’s gone his best, but he’s still a good player. He hits an acceptable average, takes a reasonable amount of walks, and occasionally pops home. Sure, he’s among the biggest slowest players, but speed has never been part of Molina’s game – despite his three stolen bases this year without a catch.

Perhaps her biggest contribution is how Molina works with feeders. They love to throw at him, and he knows his opponents well. Shake him away? It happens, but he’s been there and effective long enough that most of the time the men on the mound rely on him to guide them through the opposite lineup. Cardinals feeders may be the only people who love him more than Cardinals fans.

What about other options in St.Louis? Well, staying in organizations is the first place to look Andrew Knizner. And it doesn’t take long to realize that he’s probably not the next big (or even acceptable) Cardinals catcher. While occasional opportunities have prevented Knizner from getting into a career, he hasn’t managed to get much out of the playing time he’s got.

Ivan Herrera is said to be the kidnapper of the future, but the future is not the year 2022. Herrera is well off by his patience and strong strength. Yes, quite a few have moved from two levels down to the big leagues, but not too many catchers. A reasonable schedule for Herrera to reach the major leagues is at the end of next year, but the best case scenario is that she will be relieved of her starting role over the next couple of seasons.

The best free agents this winter are e.g. Buster Posey as likely to play for a different team than Molina Travis d’Arnaud. Making a deal for puppies’ Willson Contreras or other starting catcher is possible, but few teams are likely to differ with a truly skilled player.

The 2022 season should be another race for St. Louis. Sure, Milwaukee will be tough again next year, and the Reds have certainly been making noise over the last couple of seasons. However, the puppies and pirates are unlikely to make it to the division, leaving only two other teams left in the competition. A good catcher would be valuable in the Battle of the Cardinals for the NL Central Championship.

And then there’s the money the cardinals should have a lot after this offseason Matt Carpenter, Dexter Fowler, Carlos Martinezand Andrew Miller leave — or at least their big-dollar contracts are removed from the books. And those who happen to return will not earn a big salary in 2022.

A good portion of these funds need to be allocated to other areas for improvement, and getting started is an obvious goal. Additional depth in the bull field, field and outside area certainly couldn’t hurt, but is there enough money to bring Molina back? Absolutely.

The choice seems obvious, and recent news of contract negotiations shows that Molina will return to St. Louis in 2022 with increasing likelihood.

Can they bring him back? Absolutely. Should they bring him back? Undoubtedly. The heart and soul of the franchise over the past 17 seasons — and probably the Hall of Famer a few years after retirement — Yadier Mollan needs to wear a team for a bird bat shirt in 2022, fans and the player himself.