Taking a look at Yadier Molina

Molina's four-year deal might seem unnecessary to some given the oncoming arrival of Bryan Anderson in the near future, but I think this deal is, as has been proven on other blogs, a good contract that does not hinder Anderson's development or the Cardinals. Molina is due $1.75 million in 2008, $3.25 million in 2009, $4.25 million in 2010, and $5.25 million in 2011, according to Cot's Contracts. The Cards also hold a $7 million option for 2012, with a $750,000 buyout. Considering that Yadier was asking for $2.75 million in arbitration and had two more arb-eligible years after this year, the deal definitely favors the Cardinals for at least the first two years of the contract. After that it gets a little tricky, as Molina's price tag becomes a bit costlier in '10 and '11, but the deal is flexible enough to allow for a trade if Bryan Anderson continues to develop and/or Molina regresses. If Molina improves, than he does so on a cheap contract and Anderson becomes a good trading-chip. If Molina regresses or has average production, he becomes a trading chip himself and can give way to Anderson. All in all, a good deal for the Cardinals.

Let's revisit the projection systems to try and get a handle of what to expect to from Molina in 2008. All of these stats can be found on Fangraphs and BBTF, so peruse those sites as you please:

Proj. Sys.	AB	BA	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	R
Bill James	369	.252	.317	.358	7	45	32
CHONE	390	.264	.331	.358	8	46	46
Marcel	398	.259	.321	.377	8	50	38
ZiPS	404	.245	.307	.349	7	51	34
Average	390	.255	.319	.361	8	48	38

Pretty much what we have come to expect from the 25 year-old. An OPS under .700 is ugly, no matter how you spin it, so a 2008 like the average shown here would be pretty underwhelming. If he can somehow improve upon his 2007 numbers, as Tony La Russa and the Cardinal F.O. insist he is capable of, he could probably break the .750 OPS plateau, a far more comforting spot to be in.

As expected, Mozeliak and others credit a lot of Molina's value to his defense. Molina's defense is so good, in fact, that he should have been awarded the Gold Glove in 2007 according to BBTF. I believe they are correct in meriting Molina's defense, because catchers can dictate a game behind the plate. The Cardinals have the dilemma, however, of having such a feeble lineup that it would really benefit to have a slugging catcher in place of a weak-hitting one, no matter how good the latter's defense is. Offense to the Cardinals right now should be far more important than catcher defense, but this signing signifies that the Cards are hoping to upgrade their offense around Molina in the coming years. We already saw the offensively-superior Troy Glaus acquired for the defensively-superior Rolen. I have a feeling that's not going to be the only offense-for-defense trade-off this season and next.