By Rob Rains
Exactly what Yadier Molina’s duties will be with the Cardinals next season has yet to be determined, but he now has a title.
The Cardinals on Wednesday named Molina a special assistant to John Mozeliak, the team’s president of baseball operations.
In a team press release, Mozeliak said that Molina will work with the major-league team and other teams throughout the Cardinals’ farm system.
Molina retired after 19 seasons with the Cardinals following the 2022 season.
Also on Wednesday, the Cardinals used the sixth overall pick in the Rule 5 draft to select Ryan Fernandez, a righthanded relief pitcher who had been on the Triple A roster of the Red Sox.
Fernandez, 25, had been in the Red Sox system since 2018, averaging more than a strikeout per inning throughout his career. In part of the 2023 season at Double A, Fernandez recorded a 1.77 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 20 innings.
Fernandez will have to remain on the Cardinals’ roster for the entire 2024 season or be offered back to the Red Sox. His addition puts the Cardinals’ 40-man roster at 40 players.
The Cardinals also added three players to the organization in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft – infielder Johnfrank Salazar,also out of the Red Sox organization; Miguel Villarroel, a shortstop out of the Rangers organization, and Benito Garcia, a righthanded pitcher out of the Mets organization.
The Cardinals did not lose any players in either phase of the draft. One player they feared might be selected was righthanded pitcher Ian Bedell, who spent the 2023 season at Class A Peoria, but he was not claimed by any other team.
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