Even the Cardinals know how bad they've failed in replacing Yadier Molina

The St. Louis Cardinals found out the hard way that replacing a team legend is far from easy. In fact, they had to do so three times in just two years, as Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols and Adam Wainwright all retired during that span.

Molina was arguably the most impactful, as much of his success cannot be found on the stat sheet. Yadi managed the Cardinals pitching staff for years, helping pitchers find their strength and emphasizing it. Molina will make a great manager one day, and has already done so in the World Baseball Classic with Puerto Rico.

St. Louis Cardinals can’t replace Yadier Molina

St. Louis first attempted to replace Molina with Willson Contreras, who was formerly with the Chicago Cubs. That didn’t go as planned defensively, though one could argue Contreras make an impact offensively. He could also transition to first base or the outfield one day if called upon. At catcher, though, he leaves a lot to be desired.

This season, St. Louis has gone with a mix on Contreras and Ivan Herrera, a former top prospect at catcher who has a ton of promise at the plate. Behind the plate, though, Herrera is still learning.

Opponents are 11-for-11 against Herrera so far this season when stealing a base. Of course, throwing out runners was something Molina thrived at. In fact, he was one of the best catchers in baseball history in doing so. Herrera has a long way to go before he can be mentioned in that conversation. In fact, he’s not even passable.

“It’s something he’s going to continue to work on,” Marmol said per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Herrera has slumped the last few days, but he’s still slashing .275/.311/.500 on the season. By most measures, he is better than what Contreras can offer behind home plate despite his inability to throw out opposing baserunners so far. Even better? He doesn’t cost $87.5 million over five years, which is what St. Louis paid Contreras to take over for Molina.

If John Mozeliak and the Cardinals front office have proved anything in their tenure, sometimes it’s best to keep some solutions in-house. Herrera is one of those.

This article was originally published on fansided.com as Even the Cardinals know how bad they’ve failed in replacing Yadier Molina.