Well aware that he may not have any, I’m referring to Mo’s heartstrings in the case of the one and only Yadier Molina. Mo is notoriously all business. Always has been. Even though clubhouse issues seem to be lifting in light of losing Holliday (another topic, another day), the way his last days as a Cardinal were handled felt…abrupt. I found myself feeling there should have been more. More time, more warning, more preparation. All of us- Holliday, the players, staff, fans- got 3 days to say goodbye. Holly was beloved by many, although possibly underappreciated, and he loved this community. Playing here from 2009-2016, he well outplayed his contract…he was a bargain. 3 days was not enough of a send off, even though those last at bats and that time alone out in left field were moments I’ll always remember as a Cards fan. Was the writing on the wall for Mo earlier than that week? Can we know that for sure? There’s not much doubt in my mind that Mo knew long before Holly asked him. More time would have been kinder to Holly, his family and his fans.
This isn’t about Holly though. That was a recent example of Mo being all business. I will tell you, even though you may already have surmised it, I’m not all business. Being professional is easy for me, but at the center of it, at the heart of it if you will, it’s personal. When I was a manager, the intangibles were as important as the skills required for the job. In baseball, who wouldn’t want a player with heart, soul, fire, passion, determination, competitive spirit, the ability to work well with others and a strong work ethic in addition to all the physical skills such as catching, throwing, hitting, defending, running etc.? Those personal qualities are all Yadier Molina and then he’s the greatest catcher in the game and our greatest catcher in franchise history on top of all of it. When it comes to a complete player, you don’t find many. We got ourselves a good one people.
https://youtu.be/5DN57r3-xzE --my feelings
https://youtu.be/wB8xPnhpzAM --Mo's feelings (although he's not nearly as charming as Mr. Hanks)
The very best managers know how to be professional and can still create a friendly, productive, engaging atmosphere where their players develop, work hard and feel appreciated.
A lot of hullabaloo has been made of Bengie Molina’s radio interview this past week in which he stated his feelings towards the contract extension negotiations between Yadi and the team. He later said those were not Yadi’s feelings, but his own. Many of us were concerned when Carlos was set to go to arbitration, fearing that being told all of his negative attributes in order to keep his salary low might backfire and cause resentment. This feels similar in that any form of non-negotiation or any supposed unwillingness to move further in talks or get the deal done might sour Yadi’s feelings towards the place he has played for his whole career. There is more love for Yadi than most players I can think of in recent history…people in the twitterverse are fired up about this. A picture of Yadi in a Cubs uniform was posted and good God, my heart sank right into my stomach. It was the worst picture. Ever. In the history of pictures.
As far as I’ve read or heard, numbers seem to be averaging in the 3-4 years for $50-$80M range. Personally, I’m fine with any of that. My hope is Yadi retires here and then chooses/is asked to stay on in some kind of coaching capacity, as his tutelage is unsurpassed. We’re not talking crazy money here or even crazy years. Even as he inevitably declines in years 3 & 4, what he teaches Kelly and every other catcher is invaluable. How he manages our pitchers is particularly invaluable. The trust is unshakeable. Smoltz said last night in the WBC broadcast that “the pitchers shouldn’t shake off Yadi and they shouldn’t worry about runners because he’ll call the right pitches and he’ll take care of the runners.” Pitchers not even on our staff know to trust him because he is the best.
Bottom line: it’s personal AND it’s business. He’s beloved AND he’s the best actual catcher who can help our team. We want him to stay, he wants to stay AND the finances are there. Make it happen, Mo. Draw the papers up, get everything signed, shake hands and celebrate knowing you handled BUSINESS well. We’ll all smile knowing you PERSONALLY made Yadi and all of us very happy.
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