Cardinals Rumors: Yadier Molina has manager aspirations, even for a former rival

It's almost blasphemous to imagine Yadier Molina wearing a Chicago Cubs uniform, but that just may happen in the near future.

In an interview with Katie Woo of The Athletic, Molina discussed everything ranging from spending time with his family to viewing baseball as a father, as well as his managing aspirations. Molina was hired as a special assistant to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak prior to the 2024 season, but the former catcher was noticeably absent all season. He wasn't spotted at games, during spring training, or anywhere with the team throughout the year.

This created some ire in fans, as they were yearning for the old guard in one way or another following an abysmal 71-91 finish in 2023. Molina, a defensive stalwart and one of the best all-around catchers of his era, would have provided stability to a position that is still in flux following his retirement in 2022. Instead of reaping the benefits of nearly two decades of baseball wisdom, the St. Louis Cardinals and Cardinal fans were left desperate for the four-time Platinum Glove winner.

Molina has spent the last two years focusing on his family, particularly watching his eldest son, Yanu, play baseball. This hasn't taken away from his desire to one day manage a professional baseball team.

Yadi's managing resume is already quite lengthy, as he managed Team Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He's also coached in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, and most recently the Dominican Winter League against former teammate Albert Pujols.

Yadier Molina has aspirations to manage in Major League Baseball, and he even mentioned a willingness to manage the Chicago Cubs.

Yadi would be a good manager in the majors. He's experienced ample success as an amateur manager in just two years, and he learned from great coaches like Tony La Russa, Dave Duncan, and Jose Oquendo while playing. The list of MLB teams who would hire him would be lengthy.

Even Molina's brother Bengie agrees that Yadi would find success in the majors. Bengie also said that Yadi wouldn't wait for the Cardinals to come knocking on his door. "(Yadier Molina) doesn't want to go anywhere else, I'll tell you that right now. But, he's not shutting the doors either. If St. Louis doesn't offer him a job for whatever reason, he's not closing the doors on any team. He would love to come here and manage, but if it doesn't happen, hey, somebody else will give him a job," said the eldest Molina brother.

The youngest Molina echoed this sentiment when speaking to The Athletic. "I'm loyal to the people that helped me out an supported me for many years," said Yadi. "I feel like I'm part of the city, even if I'm away from them right now."

However, Yadi went a step further to say that he wouldn't wait for the Cardinals to be ready for him if he's ready to manage. He even mentioned a former division rival by name.

"But this is baseball, right? If we decide as a family, if I have a chance to manage, I can manage anywhere. . .I'd manage the Chicago Cubs if they want."

Well, isn't that darn near blasphemous? Yadier Molina managing the Chicago Cubs? I'm pretty sure several Cardinal legends just rolled over in their graves.

We've seen Yadi wear a Cubs "uniform" before when his son played for a team named after the North Siders. Fans reacted negatively to that image. Could you imagine the response if the legend were managing across the diamond for one of the most hated franchises in Cardinals lore?