Yadier Molina Rumors: Veteran C Rejected Cardinals' 'Ridiculous' Contract Offer

Yadier Molina is a free agent for the first time, and the 38-year-old seems to think that the St. Louis Cardinals aren't taking his demands seriously.

Per Mark Saxon of The Athletic, Molina turned down an offer that he termed "ridiculous." Saxon did not provide any details about the conversation but noted that the veteran is hoping to ink a one-year deal with an option that is worth at least $10 million but "would prefer" a two-year contract.

The lifetime Cardinals catcher, who joined the team in 2004, said in an interview last month that a number of teams are interested, including the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels, but he wants to remain in St. Louis.

Though it would be easy to balk at the idea of a player in his late 30s demanding a bigger payday, Molina has remained successful as of late. He earned two of his nine All-Star selections in 2017 and 2018, and his trophy case is rounded out by nine Gold Gloves, four Platinum Gloves and a Silver Slugger.

In last year's shortened season, he hit .262/.303/.359 with 16 RBI and four home runs in 145 at-bats.

The Cardinals organization appears to be interested in trying again on an offer for Molina, with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak saying that they would need to "explore outside options" if the face of their franchise were to hit the road.

Matt Wieters appeared in 18 games behind the plate last season, while Andrew Knizner was limited to seven. There's a bright spot in the future, since the team's No. 4 prospect, Ivan Herrera, is a catcher, but he isn't expected to join The Show until 2022.

In a loaded catcher free-agent market, with J.T. Realmuto and James McCann sure to command major deals, keeping Molina around would be the best option for the Cardinals if they're hoping to follow up on their playoff appearances from the past two seasons.