For the last couple of days, multiple reports have said that Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and the team were “close” to a contract extension or “on the verge” of said extension.
Yadier Molina And Cardinals: Five Years, $75 Million Deal Done, According To Report
Wednesday morning, Jon Heyman tweets that it’s a done deal:
Yadier molina and #stlcards are in agreement on extension terms, believed to be $75M for 5 yrs. Shd be finalized soon
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) February 29, 2012
So that’s $15 million a year for the next five seasons (after 2012, from 2013-2017 inclusive). Molina, always known as an outstanding defensive catcher, had his best year as a hitter in 2011, hitting .305/.349/.465 with career highs of 14 HR and 65 RBI; he made the NL All-Star team for the third straight season.
The naysayers will say that Molina will be 30 in July and has had a heavy workload, having caught 130 or more games for the last three years. But the Cardinals apparently had a lot of the money they might have given to Albert Pujols burning a hole in their pockets, so they’re handing some of it to Molina.
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