After retiring as an active MLB player, long-time St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina seems intent on one day being a manager in the league. While Molina was considering joining the Cardinals coaching staff to one day facilitate that move, it won't be happening in 2024.
Instead, St. Louis hired Molina as a special advisor for the 2024 season, via Enrique Rojas of ESPN. He will take scheduled visits throughout spring training and the regular season.
Molina cited his family as a reason for not taking on a bigger role. However, the catcher still wanted to be involved in baseball – especially if it was with the Cardinals. Furthermore, if Molina truly does want to get into managing, staying involved in a major league clubhouse will help show him the ropes of transitioning from player to manager.
While not in MLB, Molina does already have some managerial experience under his belt. Molina managed Team Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He has also managed Puerto Rico's U-23 team and Navegantes del Magallenes of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
Alongside his early work in the dugout, Yadier Molina also has 19 years of experience playing MLB. He was a 10-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glover and two-time World Series champion.
Forever immortalized in Cardinals history, fans were clamoring for a Molina return. The catcher even sparked up some buzz when making his coaching intentions public. However, the idea of the legendary backstop managing St. Louis will be put on the backburner for now. Instead, he'll focus on helping the club prepare and compete throughout the 2024 season as they look to turn things around.
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