ST. LOUIS – Two years ago, FOX 2 Sports Director Martin Kilcoyne dropped some major Yadier Molina news in a TKO and people were buzzing. It was 2023, and we were told Molina wanted to come back as a coach for the Cardinals someday.
It appears that could be in the works yet again.
According to a new report from Puerto Rican newspaper El Vocero, Molina was quoted as saying “Right now we’re in contact with St. Louis to coach the Cardinals and help [Oli] Marmol. He’s still the manager, but I’d be there by his side. Nothing is concrete yet, but we’re working on it.”
The last time we talked about Molina and coaching on the Cardinals staff, it never happened. That was in large part due to the time commitment needed because he wanted to watch his son play high school baseball.
Nothing is finalized yet, and it’s unclear what kind of coaching role Molina could possibly accept. But he has often made it known he wants to manage at the major-league level someday, and perhaps the best way to work toward that is by coaching in the big leagues.
Molina, a two-time World Series champion and nine-time Gold Glove winner in 19 seasons as a St. Louis Cardinals catcher, enjoyed a few opportunities as a guest coach near the end of the 2025 season, mostly in moral support.
Now three seasons removed from retirement as a player, Molina has also had an opportunity to manage his native Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and 2024 Caribbean Series, his closest experience yet to the day-to-day grind of MLB management. He is also closely involved with his son Yanuell’s youth baseball programs.
Next summer, Molina will likely earn a red jacket and be enshrined in the Cardinals Hall of Fame. After that, he has a strong case for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, first eligible in 2028.
In recent weeks, plenty of Cardinals have not been thrilled to see Albert Pujols’ name surface in manager talks for the Los Angeles Angels, or even Skip Schumaker taking over as manager of the Texas Rangers. Molina’s reported interest in joining the Cardinals staff could be an opportunity to keep one of the organization’s most iconic figures and a vital link to its championship past.
The Cardinals franchise needs some help, and even though Molina wouldn’t be playing, the experience and dynamic he could bring to a coaching role should make them better.