Ben Frederickson
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Weeks have passed since it became known the Cardinals and future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina were engaging in discussions about if the catching legend would return to the coaching staff in some capacity for 2024, and what that would look like if he did.
Still waiting.
How many more World Series home runs do former Cardinals have to hit before Cardinals Nation gets a little offseason news worth celebrating?
Patience here is hard because the idea of Molina putting his fingerprints back on the Cardinals is exciting. Rushing this, though, is not the way to go.
If we have learned anything over the years, Molina contracts can take a while to formalize, even when Molina and the Cardinals are always on the same page about seeking a mutually beneficial outcome. Now, especially, there are even more reasons to get the fine details right. This is uncharted territory for the team and the former catcher. Decades have proven both are better off with each other. A new chapter could be coming as long as the fine print gets perfected.
Some thoughts while we wait …
— Molina must be candid and clear about what he wants in a role, and what he doesn’t want. Clear with the Cardinals. Clear with himself. Is what he wants in October the same as what he wants when the spring-training grind begins? It has to be for this to work best for all parties. The Cardinals can’t go through another Matt Holliday style bench-coach reversal that leaves them scrambling. If Molina wants to be the team’s bench coach, make it happen. If he wants to be a catching whisperer, make it happen. If he wants to bounce between the majors and minors and report back to the front office on prospects and coaches alike, make it happen. The only baseball role Molina wouldn’t be great at is one he’s not fully invested in dominating. There’s no reason to cram him into a role that doesn’t make sense. Not in modern baseball, where new jobs — offensive coordinator, run prevention coordinator, special assistants galore — pop up constantly.
— If Molina is going to make his major league coaching debut in 2024, it has to be with the Cardinals. Period. The Cardinals can’t afford to let another team figure out a place for Molina first. That should be unacceptable in an era where far too many former Cardinals are making teams better elsewhere, on the field and in the dugout, including in this current World Series. Fans are getting fed up with this front office not being able to realize what it has before it’s gone. Letting Molina get away would be unacceptable. Here’s another idea: Bring Chris Carpenter back.
— Willson Contreras would benefit greatly from Molina returning to the team in whatever capacity Molina prefers. Remember, when the Cardinals were rolling the blame bus over Contreras this past season, it was Molina who came to the first-year catcher’s defense from a distance. Contreras and Molina FaceTimed when Contreras was at his lowest, and it noticeably lifted Contreras’ spirits. The Cardinals have made no public endorsement of Contreras as their primary catcher in 2024, despite opportunities to do so. Backing Contreras as the primary backstop and bringing Molina back to work with him closely would be a best-case scenario. Contreras wanted to be here in large part because of his respect for Molina and Molina’s seasons of excellence in St. Louis. Contreras would respond positively to instruction from Molina. He would celebrate it.
— If you are current Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, this Molina development could make you a little nervous, right? Let’s not kid ourselves. It looks and sounds like Molina may want to be a major league manager one day. He’s not coasting on his player credentials. He jumped at the chance to manage in winter ball and at the World Baseball Classic. And he’s proven he’s good at it, which should surprise no one. But give Marmol some credit. He has never shied away from adding coaches who could be perceived as looking over his shoulder. He brought back Skip Schumaker and Holliday, before Holliday backed out. Marmol knows how this goes. He was promoted to replace fired manager Mike Shildt, remember. But Marmol also knows the fastest way to get fired isn’t to hire a beloved former player who could become a great manager one day down the line. It’s to have more seasons like 2023.
— Additionally, Marmol should see the potential hiring of Molina as a win for three other significant reasons. Unfortunately the current Cardinals clubhouse lacks some of the saltier leadership style that every good team needs. As a result, Marmol has had to take on that job at times. It has had mixed results. Molina could and would help there. In Molina, Marmol would gain a voice that is willing and proven enough to help him push the front office for changes to the roster the team needs. Molina has never been shy about asking the front office for more when he knows the team needs it; the front office (and ownership) respects his read. He was right about Albert Pujols’ reunion most recently. He would have a voice and use it. Last, the Cardinals’ dugout could use a little more been-there-done-that. It’s not a knock on analytics to value experience as well. Molina’s attention to detail, his knowledge of the game and his insight into players (Cardinals players and opponents) could be an incredibly valuable resource to use along with pregame scripting and analytical projecting.
— The Cardinals need to get this right, as soon as responsibly possible. All those pitchers the Cardinals need to add this offseason would probably feel a little better knowing the greatest defensive catcher of his generation was going to be part of the St. Louis coaching staff.
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