Cardinals and Yadier Molina close to five-year deal

The St. Louis Cardinals do not want to wait till season's end to make a deal with impending free-agent catcher Yadier Molina. Instead, it's looking like an extension will be in place soon.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the two sides are "close to agreement on a multi-year extension likely to make Molina the seventh catcher in the game's history to realize a deal with an average annual value exceeding $10 million." The length of the contract is said to be for five years, the Post-Dispatch reports.

Molina's agent, Melvin Roman, has been in Florida for nearly a week in talks with the team, the paper notes, and conversations are continuing. However, if the deal isn't done by opening day, the sides will stop talking, Roman said, according to the paper.

The 29-year-old Molina is a three-time All-Star and a four-time Gold Glove winner. Last year, he won the Rawlings Platinum Glove for the league's best defender. He hit .305 with 14 homers and 32 doubles last season as the Cards went on to win their second World Series in the last six seasons.

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