Cardinals Rumors: St. Louis to offer Adam Wainwright an extension

Yadier Molina has already been extended by the St. Louis Cardinals and as expected, Adam Wainwright is the next player they hope to extend.

When the St. Louis Cardinals extended Yadier Molina, the expectation was that they would immediately shift their attention toward Adam Wainwright. That has indeed been the case, as the team recently approached Wainwright about a new deal, but an agreement being reached will not happen right away.

Wainwright has contemplated retirement after the season and will discuss his future with his family after the season. But when he’s ready to commit to playing in 2022, the Cardinals will be waiting with a one-year contract, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

While Wainwright has considered retirement, the odds of him returning in 2022 greatly increased after Molina was extended. After all, the two have been together for almost two decades and recently appeared in their 300th game as battery mates, becoming only the fourth duo in MLB history to accomplish such a feat, and they both said that they have their eyes on breaking the record. That, of course, is well within reach as the record is currently 324 games by Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan.

It’s realistic that Wainwright and Molina break that record next season. For starters, both have remained durable in recent seasons, though Molina has dealt with an assortment of small injuries this season. But Wainwright has pitched like an ace in 2020 and 2021, with his work this season – a 2.91 ERA in 27 starts (176 innings) – being among the best work of his 16-year career.

The decision to come back won’t be as easy as that. Wainwright is a devoted father and husband and had to step away from the team as his family dealt with a COVID situation, opening up afterwards about how much his family means to him. The odds he returns, however, are strong and the interest is clearly mutual.

But Wainwright will take his time in deciding his next step. His career, and especially what he’s done this season, has afforded him that right. Yet it would be a stunner if he didn’t return for a 17th season, especially after Molina committed to another season.