Cardinals desire to expand Yadier Molina's role could result in the best of both worlds

Since the moment he retired, many St. Louis Cardinals fans have wondered what Yadier Molina's future with the organization would look like, particularly in the vein of coaching. He came on as a special assistant back in 2023, but really only began to see him around a lot in 2026, and now the Cardinals are reportedly interested in seeing his role expand further.

That might actually be the dream scenario for the Cardinals, their fans, and the best thing for Molina before he inevitably gets hired as a manager somewhere.

The Cardinals are committed to Oliver Marmol as their manager, and sure, while that could change over the coming years, I wouldn't bet on that. Marmol and Chaim Bloom seem to have a great working relationship, and Marmol is bought in on Bloom's vision for the organization. So I wouldn't expect Molina to even have an opportunity to manage in St. Louis any time soon.

Frankly, that's probably what's best for both sides, and so if the Cardinals can find a way to expand Molina's role while he's still around, that would be a home run opportunity for them.

Yadier Molina is perfect is a non-managerial role with the Cardinals

All Major League managers are hired to eventually be fired, barring retirement, and frankly, the likelihood of the latter happening for Molina if he were hired any time soon is very low. And I do not want to be a part of a future where the Cardinals and Molina have to go through a messy "divorce".

But there is zero doubt that Molina can be a massive asset to the Cardinals while he is still around, and they've enjoyed his increased presence during the 2026 season. Molina split time between the Major League club and minor league affiliates, helping invest in the young talent coming through the organization as they build the next era of Cardinals baseball.

Marmol has been very open about how much he likes having Molina around and has actually pushed for them over the years, and with the Cardinals looking to potentially add to their coaching staff ahead of the 2027 season, it makes all the sense in the world that Molina would potentially be in that mix.

2027 will be Leo Bernal's first full season as the Cardinals' starting catcher, and they think the world of him. Having Molina there to pour into Bernal would be invaluable, as would the continued development of Ivan Herrera behind the plate, should they continue his appearances at the catcher spot. And let's not forget how Rainiel Rodriguez could be arriving in St. Louis very soon, too.

Beyond the catchers, Molina's guidance would be massive for any player in the Cardinals clubhouse, and considering all of the young arms already on the Major League roster and the wave of arms following soon, having perhaps the best partner to a pitching staff of all time in those game planning meetings would be huge for everyone involved.

And for Molina, filling a role like that for a year or two may actually help him land an MLB managerial role, as he'll be able to add genuine Major League coaching experience to his resume, as well as show he can commit to the grind it will ask of him. Molina was all-in as a player, but he's been more guarded with his time in retirement, so this would at least help answer some of those questions.

If Yadi does have aspirations to manage the Cardinals, it would also be nice for the club to see him invest in that kind of capacity beforehand, making him even more of a potential candidate for the role in the future.

We'll see if anything comes to fruition, but I think it's safe to say we all would love to see some kind of agreement worked out with Molina to coach full-time with St. Louis next season.

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