Nationals could be a landing spot for Yadier Molina

Yadier Molina has multiple teams interested in his services, and the Washington Nationals are a possibility.

The St. Louis Cardinals were initially expected to retain veteran catcher Yadier Molina. But after a reported “ridiculous” contract offer by St. Louis, it appears that Molina is exploring all of his options. We’ve heard team like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels as potential landing spots for Molina, but there’s another team to keep an eye on.

According to FanSided insider Robert Murray, the Washington Nationals “are a possibility” for Molina.

Nationals are in need of a catcher

With the NL East getting tougher, it shouldn’t come as a shock that the Nationals are looking to improve their roster to ensure they don’t finish in last place for the second consecutive year.

The Nationals currently have two catchers on their depth chart — Yan Gomes and Tres Barrera. Gomes, who signed a two-year contract extension following the 2019 season, recorded a .284 batting average and .787 OPS with four home runs and in 13 RBI in 30 games this past campaign. Barrera is coming off a season-long suspension for violating MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Their other catcher in 2020, Kurt Suzuki, is currently a free agent.

This past season, Molina slashed .262/.303/.359 with four home runs and 16 RBI in 42 games, while posting a fielding percentage of .985. Molina is currently in search of a two-year contract, or a one-year, $10 million deal with an option for the 2022 season.

If there’s one upside for the Nationals, it’s that the rival New York Mets won’t be in the Molina sweepstakes, as they just reached an agreement with former Chicago White Sox catcher James McCann on a four-year deal worth over $40 million. However, there are the other teams that Molina said expressed interest in him at the start of free agency, such as the Yankees, Angels and the San Diego Padres. Of course, you can never rule out the Cardinals increasing their offer to ensure Molina retires with the organization that drafted him in 2000.

Either way, the Nationals are a team to keep an eye on in regards to the Molina free agency sweepstakes.