Yadier Molina will return on Monday – General Manager John Mozeliak
The St. Louis Cardinals had arguably their best season in major league baseball history as they cruised to the 2011 World Series in booming fashion. Qualifying for the Playoffs on the last day was heart wrenching. Following that, winning the World Series
was another delight for the fans as the club parades around St. Louis, in triumph of their recent accomplishment.
General Manager of the club, John Mozeliak, has come out to announce on Sunday, October 30, that Yadier Molina will be back in the squad on Monday. The catcher has been a dominant force for the club behind the plate and his performance is being rewarded
with a contract option pick up by the club as the star is set to return to the full time squad in 2012.
The option worth $750,000 will signify the start of the final year on the contract that had been signed by the team in 2008. The 29-year old was instrumental in the regular league season and the playoffs. He collected an average hitting rate of .305 in the
2011 regular league season. He drove in 65 runs and scored 55 on his own. His On-Base plus Slugging percentage was on .814.
Similar to his regular league antics, Molina collected a batting average of .299 in the playoffs. The catcher picked up an On-Base plus Slugging percentage of .733. He scored seven times and drove in 12 runs for the club. The option sets one of the tasks
aside as the club now moves to negotiate a new contract with its other free agents.
Players like Octavio Dotel, Arthur Rhodes and Rafael Furcal have options but there is a less likely chance they will be exercised soon. The club could cut costs now as it tries to retain Albert Pujols. Nevertheless, the time line is too short.
"It's obviously a small window," Mozeliak said. "It's difficult to imagine getting a lot accomplished in there. But obviously, I've got to get on the phone tomorrow and try to look at some things, at least open up some dialogue. On all players, not just
[Albert Pujols]."
With Molina signed, it leaves the question on whether Pujols will join in or not.
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