Cardinals Rumors: “Clock is ticking” on Yadier Molina negotiations

The “clock is ticking” on a Yadier Molina return to the St. Louis Cardinals.

It has never felt realistic that Yadier Molina would leave the St. Louis Cardinals, even as the two sides remained far apart in negotiations. He talked with multiple teams, expressed a willingness to retire if he did not get the money he sought, and played in the Caribbean Series as his negotiations were winding down.

A recent report said that the Cardinals were optimistic about re-signing Molina as early as this week. And in a recent radio interview, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirmed that a resolution was likely to come this week – though he did not say that Molina was for sure coming back.

“Simplest way to just say it is we still have dialogue,” Mozeliak said. “Obviously, the clock is ticking when you think about players want some resolution of where they’re going to be. So, I would imagine we that we’re probably going to have some answers to these types of questions here within the week.”

The old saying is that deadlines spur action, and in this case, it is incredibly likely that it will result in Molina returning to St. Louis. Both sides have stated a desire to complete a deal for the duration of the offseason and when there is strong mutual interest, the odds of a deal being completed are strong – even as there were tense moments in negotiations.

We have extensively covered what the Molina signing would mean for the Cardinals, but his impact on both the pitching staff and lineup cannot be understated. He is one of, if not the most important player, in recent franchise history and keeping him for another season or two while they push for a deep postseason run would be instrumental for the franchise.

There should be news coming this week, and while there is nothing set in stone, the odds of Molina staying in St. Louis appear increasingly high.