Yadier Molina Joins Cardinals Front Office as Special Assistant to President Chaim Bloom

The St. Louis Cardinals are bringing back franchise icon Yadier Molina as a special assistant to president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, the team announced Wednesday.

"We are happy to welcome Yadi back to the Cardinals organization," Bloom said in a statement, via MLB.com's John Denton. "He is an elite competitor, a consistent winner, and one of the greatest ever at his position, and we look forward to many contributions during his visits with us in this new role, both in and out of uniform. Yadi will provide input on our catching program, will advise our staff on catching and game planning strategy, and will give me and our front office valuable perspective from his unique vantage point."

Molina previously joined the Cardinals' front office as a special assistant to former president of baseball operations John Mozeliak in Dec. 2023.

The 10-time All-Star also made a pair of appearances in the dugout as a guest coach during the 2025 season.

Molina's future with the club appeared to be in doubt after Mozeliak stepped down from his role at the end of St. Louis' 2025 campaign, though.

Katie Woo of The Athletic reported Oct. 30 that it was "not believed" Molina would be on the Cardinals' staff in 2026, but noted that the team remained "open to finding a role" for him.

Instead, he'll be back with the organization that he spent all 19 years of his MLB career with.

Molina sits at No. 3 on the Cardinals' all-time hits list, while his 2,226 games played are the third-most in franchise history. He finished his lengthy tenure in St. Louis with two World Series titles and nine Gold Glove awards.

The Cardinals have plenty of young catching talent, as catchers Rainiel Rodriguez, Leonardo Bernal and Jimmy Crooks are listed as three of their top six prospects (via MLB.com).

Molina will now look to help St. Louis bounce back from a 78-84 finish last season.