Bringing back Yadier Molina cements St. Louis Cardinals as favorites

The St. Louis Cardinals were much-improved from the acquisition of Nolan Arenado, but now with Yadier Molina, they are clear NL Central favorites.

Despite what fans may have said two weeks ago, the St. Louis Cardinals have had a pretty good offseason. Whether it be Nolan Arenado, or now the reunion of Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina, the team looks to be in a better spot than they were heading into 2020.

The most recent shoe to drop for the Cardinals may have been the biggest. On Monday night, the Cardinals announced Molina’s $9M deal for 2021, confirming what was expected since the beginning of the offseason.

While Molina was reportedly looking for a two-year deal, he settled for just the one to remain with the Cardinals and Wainwright.

In the end, it was a win-win for both the Cardinals and Yadi. Yadi got an AAV that shows him the respect of what he’s done and the Cardinals get Molina back without the two-year commitment they were hesitant about.

If Yadi didn’t stay, the Cards would’ve been in fine hands with Andrew Knizner, but there would’ve been the need for a transition period. It’s not easy to go from a catcher like Molina to any other player, especially one starting for the first time in his career.

While not all of Molina’s contributions to the game can’t be quantified, his quarterbacking of the entire team can’t be ignored. His impact on pitchers, on the run game, and in the clutch are all hard to quantify. Even though his counting stats at the plate and behind it have regressed in recent years, it’d be hard to argue that the Cardinals are a worse team in 2021 with Yadier Molina behind the plate.

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Before the Molina signing became official, it appeared that the Cardinals were heavy favorites to finish first in the NL Central anyway. In an offseason where every other NL Central team shipped talent out of the division, the Cardinals have been the only team to bring a true star in.

Even if the Cardinals hadn’t brought in Arenado or cleared space in the Fowler trade, they could’ve won the Central simply because they weren’t getting worse.

However, now that Arenado, Waino, and Yadi are all with St. Louis, question marks in two spots on the diamond are erased. No longer does the team have to wonder about Matt Carpenter at third base or how the Knizner transition behind the plate will go. Arenado’s bat being added to the lineup takes the weight off of players like Paul DeJong and Dylan Carlson to shoulder a bigger load, and the team looks like the best team that’s been fielded in years.

If the Cardinals were favorites before bringing back Yadier Molina, they are cemented into that spot now.