St. Louis Cardinals Rumors: Five teams interested in Yadier Molina

The St. Louis Cardinals appear likely to re-sign Yadier Molina, but they face strong competition from some of baseball’s best teams.

We have spent a lot of time covering the Yadier Molina free agent sweepstakes. The most likely outcome remains that he returns to the St. Louis Cardinals on a short-term deal. The competition, however, is strong and his market is believed to be heating up.

Speaking to Deportivo Z 101’s Hector Gomez, Molina revealed that there are five teams interested in his services: the Cardinals, New York Mets, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels.

The Mets and Yankees’ interest in Molina is nothing new, but the Padres and Angels entering the race to sign the 38-year-old is notable.

The Padres have additional financial flexibility after signing Mike Clevinger to a backloaded two-year deal and are one of baseball’s most aggressive teams under general manager AJ Preller. While San Diego has Austin Nola and Luis Campusano at catcher, they can get creative if they sign Molina. Nola has defensive versatility and can play all over the infield. Campusano can be eased in and split time at catcher with Molina while the Padres attempt to compete with the Dodgers in the National League West.

The Angels, however, provide Molina with familiarity. His brother Jose is the team’s catching coach, and his older brother Bengie spent the first eight years of his career in Anaheim. And there is a strong fit between the two sides considering that their current catcher Max Stassi could miss the start of the season because of injury.

While the expectation remains that Molina will remain in a Cardinals uniform, the reality is that they face stiff competition. Each team, perhaps except for the Angels, offers a legitimate chance at postseason contention. And for Molina, who is reportedly seeking a two-year deal, going to a place that offers a chance to win another World Series ring could be the deciding factor in where he plays next year.