Yadier Molina Among Several Cardinals Drawing Interest from Other Teams

Yadier Molina and a few other popular Cardinals could find themselves elsewhere.

Sep 12, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Yadier Molina stands next to his St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame plaque during a ceremony before a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals had a very successful season despite what the record shows. They may have gone 77-85, but the organization is executing its rebuild quite well, which is a positive sign. However, a according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, other organizations have taken notice of how well the Cardinals have been able to kick things off.

That means that several prominent people within the organization, including executives and coaches, have drawn interest from other teams as they look to follow in St. Louis' footsteps. In fact, that list includes Cardinals Hall of Famer and current coach Yadier Molina.

"There will be a handful of teams looking for new managers this offseason, and Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descalso has been mentioned as a rising candidate in those ranks, along with former Cardinals catcher and current special adviser Yadier Molina," Goold wrote. "The Los Angeles Angels, currently led by interim general manager John Mozeliak, the longtime Cardinals executive, have started a search for their next general manager."

Cardinals may lose Yadier Molina this winter

May 1, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals special assistant to president of baseball operations Yadier Molina acknowledges fans prior to a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The list doesn't stop at Molina and Descalso. Assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio and scouting director Randy Flores have also been scouted by other teams. With Mozeliak currently in charge of the Angels, Flores is somebody they are looking at to replace him once his interim contract expires.

The Angels also may not bring back Kurt Suzuki as their manager, but the connections in St. Louis could lead Mozeliak to hiring Molina or Descalso to manage if Suzuki does not return. The work Flores and Cerfolio have done has caught the eye of other teams, so they may find themselves in new organizations.

Cardinals fans would be disappointed to see Molina walk away to manage another team, but the legendary catcher does have managerial experience, having managed Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic in 2023 and 2026. It also would be good for Molina to receive that first opportunity to manage in the big leagues.

As if that wasn't enough, fellow Cardinals legend Albert Pujols is working on a personal services deal with the Angels and has already been considered for managerial openings after being put in charge of the Dominican National team in the WBC.

So, the Cardinals might end up seeing a mass exodus of coaches and executives, as well as another franchise legend getting an opportunity to manage.