Yadier Molina agrees to 1-year, $10 million extension with St. Louis Cardinals, sources say

All-Star catcher Yadier Molina is returning for a 19th and final season with the St. Louis Cardinals after agreeing to a one-year extension, the team announced Tuesday. 

Sources told ESPN the deal is worth $10 million, confirming a report by The Athletic. 

"We are pleased to announce that Yadi has agreed to cement his career legacy with the Cardinals for a final season in 2022," Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said in a statement. "His experience, leadership, work ethic and winning desire are all part of what we value as an organization."

Molina has spent his entire career -- 2,119 games -- with the Cardinals. The only two players to play more games in a Cardinals uniform are Hall of Famers Stan Musial (3,026) and Lou Brock (2,289). 

"I'm so happy, so happy," Molina  told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before Tuesday's game against Detroit. 

Molina, who is playing this season on a one-year, $9 million deal, said earlier this month that he did not want to enter free agency again this winter.

A 10-time All-Star, Molina has been a key component to the Cardinals' success over the years, having helped lead the team to four National League pennants and two World Series titles. He has a career .280 average with 168 home runs, 983 RBIs and 69 stolen bases. 

Molina's 2,080 games behind the plate are the most with a single franchise in major league history, and he is a nine-time Gold Glove winner. 

"On behalf of the Cardinals and our fans, it gives me great pleasure to announce that Yadier Molina will continue his franchise legacy for another season in 2022," said Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. "Yadi has continued to play at an All-Star level this season, and has already established himself among the greatest players to have ever worn the birds on the bat."

Information from ESPN's Jesse Rogers was included in this report.