The Buzzkill That Is Yadi’s Extension

Yadier Molina recently let the Cards know that he was interested in an extension. My co-hort C70 already covered this here, but I wanted to give my two cents.

First let me just say that, as a fan. Yadi is my favorite Cardinal right now, and one of my all-time favorites. I can’t imagine the Cards without Yadi.

As a wannabe GM however, this looks like trouble.

Five Points.

  1. Yadi is entering his age 34 season having caught a whopping 13,000+ innings as our catcher. He has been an iron man throughout his career but has started to break down, losing time to injuries the last year or two.
  2. Players looking for an extension at this stage of their career typically want what I call a “retirement” extension. Basically, a multi-year extension that pays them for what they’ve done, not what they’re going to do. The extension is basically a “respect” extension. These type of extensions always end badly for the team.
  3. We have Carson Kelly a young catching prospect who is close to being ready. In fact, if Yadi got injured during the season, Kelly would likely be called up and given a chance to start.
  4. As mentioned above, Yadi has been an iron man. I think this is something he is proud of, and I’m not sure I see him letting Kelly play 40-50 games next year. I can see Yadi readily passing on knowledge, but I can’t see him sit, watching the kid play, then giving Kelly pointers. Yadi may have too much pride for that. I think he will want to start every game until he can’t start another game. Knowing Yadi, that may be 3-4 more years.
  5. Even if Yadi is willing to sit, Mike Matheny might play him anyways, which is a good gesture of respect on the surface, but could negatively affect the team in the long run. Mo might have to sit on Matheny’s shoulder. In fact, if I were Mo, I ask the Cards for a second office, one in the clubhouse, where I could monitor and tweak the daily lineup.

In the end, if Yadi is extended, barring clauses that limit his playing time, (which I’ll talk about below) Kelly will likely have to be dealt. Then when Yadi breaks down, (he is human after all (I think)) we’ll be left scrambling.

If I were Mo, in extension talks, if he’d consider a “Health/Mentor” clause, which limits Yadi’s playing time, say 100 to 110 games a year. I don’t think he’d agree to such a clause.

In the end, we may be between a rock and a hard place. If Yadi leaves, the pressure on Kelly to live up to his potential would be enormous. If he doesn’t fans will wonder why we didn’t keep Yadi. However, if Yadi stays and starts to decline, fans will wonder why we didn’t keep Kelly. I don’t see this ending well.

As always, thanks for reading.

  • Craig M. January 5, 2017, 4:34 am

    I think the best scenario would be to sign Yadi to a 2-year contract with an option on a 3rd year. He has enormous value to the pitching staff, and the contract would limit the Cardinals’ risk, while still giving Yadi the respect he deserves. It’s not charity, he hit over .300 in 2016 and would be a great mentor to Kelly.

  • James Berry January 5, 2017, 6:09 am

    Kelly wouldn’t have to be dealt. He may be nearing ready, but he’s had a very small sample in finishing school(AAA), so he still needs time. Yadi isn’t going to try an hold Kelly back out of spite or pride. He wants to play and end his career with the Cards. That’s not surprising.

  • LTC Ivann E. Greene January 5, 2017, 7:25 am

    First off, Yadi does deserve the respect that he gets! Secondly, for Mo, whom I don’t particularly care for, not to offer an extension would be yet another slap in the face of a LOYAL CARDINAL! What ever happened to the Cardinal Way? Here we have a loyal player who has given EVERYTHING to and for the team to succeed. Of course he is older, but his wise perspective in handling pitchers is valuable; his BA and OBP is excellent! He is too damn valuable to think that he is not worth an extension. The mere thought of Mo not signing Yadi to a long term contract with stipulations is ludicrous!

    • Darrell Garrett January 5, 2017, 8:14 am

      Respect and loyalty dumb when it comes to reality and the future of the team.

Next Post:

Previous Post:

Please share, follow, or like us :)

Subscribe to The Conclave via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 16.3K other subscribers

NL Central Standings

TeamWLPct.GB
Cardinals9369.574 -
Brewers8676.5317.0
Cubs7488.45719.0
Reds62100.38331.0
Pirates62100.38331.0

Last updated: 10/06/2022

Archives