Former Cardinals seeing success beyond the field in their post-baseball lives

Adam Wainwright has been retired for a few weeks. Yadier Molina has been retired for just over a year. However, both are already showing an interest in returning to baseball in one way or another. The two St. Louis Cardinals legends have both made headlines recently about a return to baseball stadiums across America, one in the stands and the other in the dugout.

It was reported last week on October 12th by Fox 2's Martin Kilkoyne that there is mutual interest between the Cardinals and Yadier Molina in a return for the catching great. Redbird Rants' own J.T. Buchheit wrote about it here. While Molina would likely return in a bench role, his presence in the dugout would speak volumes about management's desire to bring in strong voices for the players.

It was recently reported that Yadi spoke specifically to a reporter in Puerto Rico about his potential return to the Cardinals' organization.

"We hope that if something happens, it will happen soon, and it not, then I would still be willing to continue helping them when they need me while I am here in Puerto Rico. They have the knowledge of my willingness (to take a position in management or the coaching staff)."

Yadier Molina

Molina's return would bolster a pitching staff that could use some direction. Also, Molina would be able to instruct Willson Contreras on controlling the game. Molina would additionally be a great mentor for Ivan Herrera, the ascendant catching prospect in the Cardinals' system. One concern would be Molina being in Oliver Marmol's shadow all year. One thing goes wrong, and fans will be clamoring for Marmol's backup to replace him at the helm.

Additionally, Adam Wainwright made an appearance in a playoff game just last week for Fox. Wainwright joined A.J. Pierzynski and Adam Amin in the American League Division Series. He was a color commentator for the series between the Houston Astros and the Minnesota Twins. Awful Announcing did their playoff broadcasting rankings recently, and Wainwright and Co. were ranked as the third-best booth in the playoffs thus far. Wainwright has been in the booth before, and he has received admirable remarks from fans and professionals alike. He has a future in broadcasting (and even country music).

Seeing Yadier Molina in Cardinal Red again would be inspiring for many fans. He would surely draw a crowd and hopefully even bring some wins back to the team. Wainwright is always good for a story or two while broadcasting. He understands the game in a way that many other people don't; he's also able to explain what is going on in the game to a level that is understandable for the everyday fan.