Yadier Molina delivers veiled criticism on the current state of the Cardinals

During spring training in 2024, every St. Louis Cardinals fan held the same thought: Where was Yadier Molina? The Cardinals' iron-man catcher for 18 years had been promoted to appear throughout spring to mentor the Cardinals' young backstops, with President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak going as far as to hire Molina as a special assistant. But as spring training progressed and the regular season rolled around, Molina remained absent, leading many fans to wonder about his desire to return to St. Louis.

In an interview with Katie Woo of The Athletic (subscription required), Molina broke his silence and spoke about his family and his desire to spend time in Texas with his wife and watch his son Yanu play baseball in high school. Molina said he would like to return to baseball as a manager eventually, and while he is still a Cardinals fan, he is not picking favorites when it comes to a potential job offer, saying he would even be willing to manage the despised Chicago Cubs.

When it came to the Cardinals, though, Molina chose his words carefully when discussing his thoughts about the state of the franchise. He pointed out the fact that the Cardinals didn't sign any free agents, saying, "It's weird for us as fans right now. I don't want to say they are not competing. That's disrespectful to the players. But as a fan, that's something we're thinking about, how are we going to compete this year?"

Molina's absence in 2024 could be tied to dissatisfaction with the state of the Cardinals.

Molina's comments about wanting to be around his family are undoubtedly true, and he shouldn't be criticized for wanting to spend time with his loved ones after nearly two decades on the diamond. But he doesn't seem optimistic toward the Cardinals' chances in 2025, and as a player who was used to success nearly every year while on the team, Molina may not be a fan of where the franchise is headed.

Molina did praise manager Oli Marmol and the coaching staff and said he would support the young talent that the Cardinals possess, but added, "Baseball is crazy; you never know what will happen." The last quip doesn't appear to be a vote of confidence for the Cardinals to contend for a playoff position.

It's also worth recalling the pointed comments from former Cardinals broadcaster Jim Edmonds. The Cardinals Hall of Fame center fielder discussed how he and other beloved members of past teams no longer felt desired or appreciated by the franchise, and if Molina is feeling the same cold-shoulder treatment, it's not a surprise that he may be in no hurry to return to the team.

Despite the criticism lobbed toward Molina over the past season for his failure to show up in Jupiter for spring training, fans should be able to empathize with him over any dearth of confidence he may have in the 2025 Cardinals. If the team's seeming lack of effort is holding him back from enthusiastically pursuing an active role within the organization, it should sound loud alarm bells throughout the front office.