3 highs and 3 lows of the Cardinals' offseason

High moment #3: Yadier Molina joins the front office.

The St. Louis Cardinals' organization hasn't been the same since Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols retired following the 2022 season. The departure of these two legends changed the clubhouse in ways that couldn't have been foreseen.

Molina went off to manage Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and Caribbean Series, and he led the Criollos to the Winter League title in Puerto Rico. He busied himself after retirement with more baseball from within the dugout rather than behind the plate.

Rumors swirled all offseason surrounding the possibility of Molina returning to the Cardinals in a coaching capacity. A supporting coach (catching instructor, minor league coach) was always a possibility, and perhaps Molina could have even pushed for the bench manager role. Daniel Descalso filled that void, and that limited Molina's potential to be in the dugout. Rather than joining the coaching staff in 2024, Yadier Molina will instead be a special advisor to John Mozeliak.

In this role, Molina will service the minor league teams and advise Mozeliak and the major league team. Molina's inclusion on the 2024 front office staff will provide benefits to Willson Contreras and Ivan Herrera primarily, but he will also be able to use his magic touch on a pitching staff that struggled without their long-time backstop.

While some fans may have hoped for a more direct role for the future Hall of Famer, the fact that Yadi will be with the club in any capacity next year brought fans great joy this offseason. Now, we wait for his heralded appearance at spring training.