All smiles: Pena’s happy personality finds a new home as Molina’s backup with Cardinals

With Brayan Pena in the house, perhaps the St. Louis Cardinals finally will execute their longtime plan to provide an occasional break for aging catcher Yadier Molina.

Pena, 33, was signed as a free agent Nov. 30. Two days later, the Cardinals dealt former backup Tony Cruz to the Kansas City Royals. Cruz was a good enough defender, but had batted a miniscule .203 in 430 plate appearances during the last three seasons.

With Molina perhaps opening the season on the disabled list following two offseason surgeries on his left thumb, the switch-hitting Pena seems capable of filling the void. He batted .263 in 223 games with the Cincinnati Reds the last two seasons, and while he lacks arm strength, he has a quick release and is respected by pitchers for his game management.

“I want to be able to help in every aspect of the game,” said Pena, who defected from Cuba in 1999. “There’s only one goal, and that’s winning. There are no egos, there are no superstars. Everybody here preaches the same thing, and that’s family. It’s been beautiful.”

Pena wants to play as much as possible, but understands Molina is “our guy.”

“He’s our official Hall of Famer,” Pena said. “You really want him to be ready; you really want him to be healthy. At the same time, I have a responsibility to do, and that’s being his backup. I have to be ready. I have to be responsible for when my name is being called.

“(Playing time) is totally out of my control. I want to be ready when Yadi needs a break and I want to be ready when (manager) Mike Matheny puts me in the lineup.”

Spring training served as study time for Pena. Former Reds teammate Mike Leake is the only pitcher on the staff with whom Pena has regular-season experience.

“Being able to catch a lot of the guys that I didn’t know before (has been good),” Pena said. “It’s not the same when you face them than when you’re actually working with them.

“At the same time, I have a guy like Mike Leake, who I have worked with the past couple of years. I know how excited we are to have him, too. It’s going to be fun.”

Reds’ loss, Cards’ gain

Reds fans took to Twitter after the Cardinals signed the popular Pena, expressing regret that he wasn’t retained and wishing him luck – except, of course, against Cincinnati.

Pena was visible in the community and always made time for fans. He has a habit of saying, and doing, the right things, an intangible that also appealed to the Cardinals.

“I never take anything for granted,” Pena said. “I came from Cuba. I came from a place that didn’t have any hope. I came from a place where I didn’t have any expectations. Now I’m in America. They’ve opened their arms and welcomed me to this great country ... and given me a second opportunity.

“This is something I never knew was there. Hope. Freedom. I enjoy life. I enjoy being able to have great teammates and great time on the baseball field. At the end of the day, it’s about trying to do the right thing. It’s about trying to be yourself and respecting others. That’s the way I see life and that’s the way I approach it every day. I’m blessed.”

Coming from Cuba

Pena said there were “a few” scary moments during his defection 17 years ago. He had only the clothes he wore. No money. No passport. Just a dream to play major-league baseball.

“The fact that if I was caught, they would send me back to Cuba and I would probably go to jail down there,” said Pena, who was a member of the Cuban National Team when he decided to leave. “Back then, it was difficult for us to defect. It was very scary because when I made that decision, I was 16. Thank God, I’m here.

“Definitely, I’m glad I did it. I wanted to pursue my dream. I’m very proud to say I made it. It was totally worth it, what I went through. I appreciate what I’ve got and taking nothing for granted.”

In December, Pena returned to Cuba for the first time since he defected, reuniting with family members who never knew of his plans to leave the country in 1999.

Pena was joined by Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, former Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay, Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera, Seattle Mariners outfielder/designated hitter Nelson Cruz and San Diego Padres shortstop Alexi Ramirez.

Joe Torre, chief baseball officer, and Tony Clark, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, also attended.

“There’s much better opportunity now,” Pena said, noting the warming of relations between the United States and Cuba. “Hopefully, things can continue to loosen up and we’ll be able to relax a little bit and go back to our country with no hesitation and no fear.

“Going back to my country for the first time in 17 years was a fun moment. We really did have a great time down there. We did some baseball clinics with the kids and we donated some baseball equipment. And we were able to spend time with our families.”

This story was originally published March 26, 2016 at 6:30 AM with the headline "All smiles: Pena’s happy personality finds a new home as Molina’s backup with Cardinals."