Signing Yadier Molina could be answer to Yankees’ problems

If the Yankees can find a way to trade Gary Sanchez, they should sign Yadier Molina.

You have to think the St. Louis Cardinals are going to do everything in their power to keep Yadier Molina, who will be hitting free agency in a couple of weeks. The 38-year-old is arguably the best backstop of his generation, but he’s never played on another team. It’s been 17 seasons with the Cardinals.

But what if the New York Yankees jump into the conversation? Could that sway Molina, who only has a few years left in him, to bail on the only franchise he’s ever known? Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said “there’s a good chance he walks,” which is pretty notable.

The Bombers provide him the perfect short-term window to win a World Series and he can be preserved over the course of a 162-game season. Give Yadi 110 starts and the rest of the playing time to Kyle Higashioka. Preserve the veteran for the postseason where he’ll provide top-notch defense and a cool, calm and contact bat at the plate.

This would go a long way in solving the Yankees’ problems.

If the Yankees can find a way to get Gary Sanchez’s salary (~$5 million or more) off the books, they could offer Molina a two-year deal in the $15-$18 million range. That’s not bad for a part-time player who’s in a really good position to capture his third World Series ring, right?

Plus, Yadi’s already gotten paid. He’s made $155 million across his MLB career and all he needs at this point are some more career-defining moments to solidify his Hall of Fame case. This is a match that would greatly benefit both sides.

Higashioka just isn’t an everyday starter and Sanchez is proving to be more of a detriment than a contributor at this point, but teams will no doubt take a risk on his powerful bat in a potential trade. There’s no more time to spend waiting for Sanchez to figure it out. This is a win-now team that needs as few developmental projects as possible.

That’s why Molina is perfect. Yes, he’s well past his prime, but he can still hit the ball and would be a big beneficiary of playing with fresh legs in this stacked Yankees lineup. He’s hit .265 with 34 home runs and 147 RBI across the last three seasons (278 games) and just won a Gold Glove two years ago. In 2019, he hit .305 with runners in scoring position. Every single aspect of his game aside from his home run totals trumps Sanchez and brings a ton of value, both tangible and intangible. And he’ll put the ball in play when he needs to — something this team needs more than anything.

We know the Yankees have a number of things to take care of this offseason, but general manager Brian Cashman should have this in the back of his mind if there’s an opportunity to make it happen.

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