Cardinals, Molina agree to 3-year, $60M extension
The St. Louis Cardinals weren't going to let another franchise icon depart via free agency.
Yadier Molina and the Cardinals officially agreed to a three-year extension Sunday, with a press conference scheduled for 2 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium to announce the deal.
Financial details have not yet been released, though Molina told Marly Rivera of ESPN that the extension is worth $60 million.
Molina has spent his entire 13-year career in St. Louis and ranks first in franchise history in games played and second in hits, home runs, doubles, and RBIs among catchers. He helped the club to World Series wins in 2006 and 2011, while also winning four Platinum Gloves.
The 34-year-old, who was set to hit free agency after this season, gave the Cardinals up until Opening Day to work out a possible extension, and the two sides were optimistic a deal could get done.
While there's plenty of mileage on Molina, he remains highly productive and is heralded for his ability to lead both his pitching staff and the clubhouse. He's coming off a strong offensive season in which he hit .307/.360/.427 with eight home runs, a career-high 38 doubles, and 58 RBIs in 147 games.
St. Louis opens the season Sunday night at home against the Chicago Cubs.