McCovey Chronicles discusses the necessity of the Molina trade, especially with a top-tier catcher all ready to take his place.
It’s obvious to everyone that Bengie Molina’s defense is slipping. His offense, not good to begin with, went so far in the toilet over the last two months that it knocked over Leonardo’s katana rack. But there wasn’t anything you could expect a team to do. Where else are you going to find a catcher this late in the season...
...except this team -- this Giants team of ours -- has a young catcher. He is, oh, one of the top two or three young catchers in the game. He’s ready. It seemed so painfully obvious what need to be done. It was like watching someone complain about needing a new transmission for a Ford Aspire as they polish a new car in the garage. But that single, amorphous, veterophile wasn’t on board. What would happen if the rookie didn’t, I don’t know, bring a mitt to the stadium? What if the rookie didn’t learn any of the pitcher’s names? What if the rookie entered 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 45 into the computer? WHAT WOULD HAPPEN THEN?
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As for Bengie, that eulogy was written prematurely, but everything still holds up. Thanks to Bengie. A sincere thanks. I still want to cancel my MLB.tv subscription because I’m scared my cat will jump on my laptop, clicking on a Rangers feed, which would lead to me watching Molina play for five seconds as I fumble for the mouse, and that would be unacceptable. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate Molina’s popularity in the clubhouse or the work he’s put in with the team. He won the Willie Mac award twice -- that has to mean something, right?