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Legendary St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is returning to the franchise ... as a member of the front office. Molina was announced as the team's special assistant to the president of baseball operations Wednesday.
The team announced the move on various social media sites, though did not go into detail on the nature of his new role.
Molina, 43, returns to the Cardinals after three seasons away. After a 19-year career in MLB — all of which came with the Cardinals — Molina retired following the 2022 MLB season. He finished his career with a .277/.327/.399 slash line, with 176 home runs. He also managed a Silver Slugger award.
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While Molina had strong seasons with the bat, he was more known for his leadership and defense with the Cardinals. He was a 10-time All-Star who won nine Gold Glove awards and four Platinum Gloves. He also helped lead the Cardinals to two World Series titles.
Following his playing career, Molina went into managing. He coached in both Puerto Rico and in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League before being named Puerto Rico's manager ahead of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Puerto Rico reached the knockout stage under Molina, where they were eliminated by Mexico.
Later that year, he won the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League championship with the Criollos de Caguas. He made his return to the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League last season, where he was named the manager of the year of turning around the Navegantes del Magallanes, leading the team to a playoff spot after a miserable start.
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Given Molina's importance to the franchise and his previous experience as a successful manager, it's possible the move is setting up Molina's eventual move to the bench, especially if the team falters under Oliver Marmol in 2025.
In four seasons as Cardinals manager, Marmol has a 325-323 record. The team, however, hasn't reached the playoffs the past three years.
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