Report: Cardinals' Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina Contacted by Teams Ahead of FA

Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright have spent 32 combined seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, but both veterans could be playing elsewhere in 2021 as they enter free agency this offseason.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold reported Molina and Wainwright "have already been approached by other teams" but prefer to return to the Cardinals.  

Goold speculated re-signing Wainwright and Molina would be pretty straightforward for the Cardinals before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic instead has St. Louis and every other MLB team approaching the offseason very carefully.

The Cardinals declined Kolten Wong's $12.5 million player option, which potentially foreshadows a long winter.

Assuming they don't work out new deals with their current team, Wainwright and Molina are in the class of free agents who are likely to be hit hard. Except for elite talent, general managers have been wary in recent years of committing large sums of money on players in their 30s. Wainwright and Molina are 39 and 38, respectively.

Wainwright remained productive on the mound, going 5-3 with a 3.15 ERA and two complete games in 10 starts. His 4.10 FIP was also his best since 2016, per Baseball Reference. Still, getting anything beyond a one-year contract might be tough for a player of his age.

Molina's market might be even more limited because his on-field value is no longer exceptional compared to others at his position. Going off FanGraphs' WAR between 2019 and 2020, he's the fifth-best catcher (1.7) available. The teams that are priced out of the J.T. Realmuto sweepstakes will have other options behind the plate.