If Yadier Molina wants to stay with the St. Louis Cardinals, he should take a pay cut

It’s great for the St. Louis Cardinals that catcher Yadier Molina wants to sign an extension with the team, announcing in the past week that he was willing to accept a reduced role in the second year of a two-year deal in order to secure a contract extension with the Cardinals.

But Molina needs to take an extra step and, after making a mint to play the game he loves with St. Louis, accept a pay cut to aid his team in his stated goal of winning another World Series before he rides off into retirement.

Molina will have earned $155 million from the Cardinals at the end of the 2020 season, the last year of a three-year contract he signed that paid $20 million a season. Like his longtime batter partner Adam Wainwright, Molina doesn’t have anything left to prove. He’s been one of the best-paid players at his position for a long time. If he agrees to accept something more like $10 million a season, still a princely sum, Molina could free St. Louis up to pursue a premium player like Nolan Arenado.

Subtract $10 million for Molina, $10 million if Wainwright retires as expected, $7.25 million from Brett Cecil’s expiring contract and the last year of $4 million for Mike Leake’s ill-fated signing, you’ve nearly covered Arenado’s contract — or that of a similar premium player — without breaking a sweat. Coupled with youngsters Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson, Dylan Carlson, Lane Thomas and others taking a step forward over the next year, adding an elite player to pair with Paul Goldschmidt in the middle of the offense, is key to putting St. Louis deep into the playoffs. And a career earnings total of $175 million is nothing to sneeze at.

Albert Pujols will end up making twice the money that Molina has commanded in his career. But to get the extra cash, Pujols alienated loyal Cardinals’ fans who rooted for him through a decade of success in St. Louis. In California, he’s had plenty of time to count his cash during the long off-seasons uninterrupted by all those pesky playoff appearances Yadi has had to endure. Was it worth it?

I know it’s tough to get into someone else’s pocket and decide what they do with their income. But it’s Molina who said his top priority to win another World Series with the Cardinals. His team is up against it’s financial limits right now, refusing to budge even to re-sign Marcell Ozuna to a modest one-year contract.

While I’m not a fan of the changes the Commissioner’s Office has made to the game in recent years and months, it may play in Molina’s favor that Major League Baseball has evolved to a 26-man roster in 2020. It seems that the extra spot is likely to be used for a third catcher, allowing Molina to be liberally moved in and out of the lineup. It’s something that doesn’t help much if he refuses to cede time behind the plate to understudies. But the Cardinals can afford to groom prospect Andrew Knizner and find at-bats for veteran Matt Wieters.

The puzzle pieces are all there. It’s up to Molina to work with the Cardinals to find a way to make them all fit in a way that benefits both sides so he can finish his brilliant career in St. Louis on a high note.

This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 8:58 AM.

Scott Wuerz

Belleville News-Democrat

Scott Wuerz has written “Cheap Seats,” a St. Louis Cardinals fan blog for the Belleville News-Democrat, since 2007. He is a former BND reporter who covered breaking news and education.