The Cardinals announced this afternoon that longtime catcher has returned to the organization as a special a sistant to President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak. Following the announcement, Mozeliak spoke with reporters (including ) regarding Molinas role in the organization. Mozeliak suggested that Molina will spend time as a uniformed member of the Cardinals dugout this coming season, though that wont be his full-time role. While Molina will spend time with the clubs minor league affiliates his main focus will be working with the big league clubs players and coaching staff. The news comes after a lengthy earlier this offseason that Molina would be returning to St. Louis in some capacity, including that Molina could join manager s coaching staff as bench coach. The #2 job in the dugout former Cardinals infielder , leading Molina to rejoin the Cardinals in his current role. Molina has been candid in recent years about his hopes of becoming a big league manager at some point, and his return to the Cardinals organization just one year after his retirement from playing is sure to spur speculation regarding the future of Marmol, who the team prior to the final year of his current contract. Looking beyond the clubs reunion with Molina, the clubs outfielder has been well-documented this offseason, with Mozeliak previously indicating that the club hopes to bolster its bullpen in return for ONeills services. suggested in a live chat with readers yesterday that the Royals are among the teams with interest in ONeill this offseason. While it might register as a surprise that the Royals would be interested in a rental player coming off a 101-lo s season in 2023, the clubs outfielders slashed a pathetic .229/.293/.392 last season Adam Magpoc Jersey , leaving them with an 82 wRC+ that registered as the worst among all major league clubs. Given that dearth of production, the Royals are perhaps better situated than most clubs to roll the dice on ONeill, a 28-year-old slugger who flashed elite power and defense during a 2021 campaign that saw him slash .286/.352/.560 in 537 trips to the plate while finishing in the top ten of NL MVP voting. Unfortunately for both ONeill and the Cardinals, things have taken a turn for the worse since then. Injuries and under-performance have plagued ONeill the past two seasons, as the slugger has slashed a mediocre .229/.310/.397 (98 wRC+) in just 168 games over the past two seasons. ONeill is something of an odd trade candidate thanks to his combination of youth, upside, limited team control and recent struggles. Its easy to see why Kansas City may be particularly interested in his services, however. ONeill could be offered consistent playing time on the lowly Royals next season, with Kansas City able to offer the struggling slugger plenty of runway to re-establish himself as a quality bat. If ONeill is succe sful in doing so, he could be a valuable a set for the club to flip at the trade deadline next summer in the event the Royals find themselves out of the race by midseason. ONeill isnt the only Cardinals outfielder who could be on the trade block this offseason, as Mozeliak spoke to reporters (including ) about the future of young outfielder , who has in recent days. Mozeliak seemed to be more reluctant to part with Burleson than ONeill, saying that the club definitely like[s] Burleson and that they think theres a spot for him on the clubs 2024 roster. That said, Mozeliak acknowledged the fact that regular playing time is unlikely to be available for Burleson as things currently stand, noting that something else might have to happen first in order for Burleson to get everyday at bats next season. Burleson struggled in 347 trips to the plate last season with a tepid slash line of just .244/.300/.390, but the 25-year-old youngster isnt far removed from his days as a top-100 prospect in the sport. Yu Chang Jersey