The St. Louis Cardinals have a few holes to fill this offseason.
After the departure of Yadier Molina, the team is in need of a new catcher, and Molina’s replacement is expected to come from outside the organization.
Christian Vazquez and Tucker Barnhart are available in free agency, as is Willson Contreras.
Available on the trade block are Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy and Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen.
Who the Cardinals will ultimately choose is open to interpretation at this point, but on Twitter, one fan demanded that the Cardinals figure out who their next catcher will be so that fans can have closure about Molina being gone.
I won’t be able to have full closure that Yadier Molina is officially retired until the @Cardinals bring in Willson Contreras, Sean Murphy, Danny Jansen, or Christian Vazquez.
Any day now…
— Ryan (@The_Ryan_Shull) November 17, 2022
Cards Fans Ready To Move On From Yadi
When the Cardinals finally find their new catcher, there will be some level of closure for fans.
Molina had been with the organization since being drafted in 2000 and played 19 seasons, all as a Cardinal.
So naturally, replacing that presence is going to be difficult, but not impossible.
Contreras is probably the least likely option, as he’ll cost more than the Cardinals would typically be willing to spend.
Vazquez won’t come cheap, but he may be a more logical fit for St. Louis.
Vazquez hit .274 with nine home runs and 52 RBI.
He has also won two World Series rings, one with the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and one more recently with the Houston Astros.
The Blue Jays have been looking to potentially trade one of their catchers to create a spot for top prospect Gabriel Moreno.
Perhaps St. Louis could swing a deal for Jansen or Alejandro Kirk.
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