Cardinals sign Molina to 1-year extension to close out career
The St. Louis Cardinals and catcher Yadier Molina have agreed to a one-year contract extension for the 2022 campaign, the team announced Tuesday.
The deal is worth $10 million, reports The Athletic's Katie Woo.
Next season is expected to be Molina's last in the majors.
"We are pleased to announce that Yadi has agreed to cement his career legacy with the Cardinals for a final season in 2022," Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said.
Molina owns a .259/.304/.376 slash line with eight home runs and 51 RBIs in 94 games after inking a one-year, $9-million contract with the Cardinals before the season.
The 10-time All-Star recently expressed interest in continuing his playing career with the Cardinals after the two sides engaged in contentious negotiations last offseason that saw Molina field offers from multiple other teams.
"I don't want to go through that again," Molina said earlier in August. "The idea is to get something done early and see what can happen. That would be great. That would be good. That would be awesome."
The 39-year-old has spent his entire 18-year career with the Cardinals, catching his 2,000th game with the franchise in April. He's the first catcher to accomplish the feat.
Following the first pitch, Yadier Molina received a standing ovation for becoming the first catcher ever to catch 2,000 games for one team. 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZnJTj8DC6Y
— MLB (@MLB) April 14, 2021
Molina's other accomplishments with the Cardinals include two World Series titles, nine Gold Gloves, four Platinum Gloves, and a Silver Slugger award.