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The idea of Yadier Molina returning to the Cardinals as a coach is intriguing. It’s exciting. It makes a lot of sense. If the greatest catcher in franchise history is willing to do it, and his role is worthy of his stature and time, then the Cardinals should make the move.

FOX 2 sports director Martin Kilcoyne was the first to get the word out on the possibility of a Molina-Cardinals reunion. As Kilcoyne reported, “the two sides have talked about the idea of him joining the coaching staff, but it’s not clear how far those talks have progressed.

Marty’s reporting is on the mark, but there are so many questions we don’t know if it will happen. I’m not assuming anything. There would be a lot to work out in advance. This wouldn’t be a simple hire. Full-time coach? Part-time coach? Pitching coach? A combination pitching-and-catching coach? All-around advisor? The specifics aren’t clear.

1. He’s Yadier Molina, for goodness sake. Two-time World Series champion. A driving force on St. Louis teams that won four pennants. The Cardinals were third in MLB in both regular-season wins and postseason wins during his career, which spanned 2004 through 2022. Molina was selected to 10 All-Star teams, earned nine gold gloves, four platinum gloves, a silver slugger award and received NL MVP votes in five seasons

2. Let’s continue with this theme: Yadier is not just a winner; he’s one of the all-time winners. And after a horrendous 2023 season, the Cardinals need winners. They need a leader to sharpen the winning mentality and the competitive mentality. This team needs someone who can push hard to raise the standards. The Cardinals lacked a hard edge in 2023. That must change. Without question, Yadier Molina is a badass. And a relentless badass at that. This nice-guy, gentlemanly, laid-back clubhouse could use Molina’s fire.

This is unofficial … but based on my research on the “StatHead” engine at Baseball Reference, only one Cardinal played in more regular-season wins than Molina in franchise history: Stan Musial. The top five? Musial 1,577 wins, Molina 1,196, Lou Brock 1,135, Ozzie Smith 1,000, Enos Slaughter 1,000.

Molina competed in 104 postseason games, the most by a National League player. His teams won 52 postseason games, making him the winningest player in NL history.