Rays close to signing a Molina

When I first heard that the Rays were close to bringing one of the trio of catching Molina brothers, my reaction was that no matter which one it was, they would be a fantastic addition to our team, because, well, all three are pretty dang good.

With Yadier entrenched in St. Louis and Bengie in Texas, the remaining brother is Jose, who was a member of the Blue Jays last year. Jose Molina is known for having a rocket arm and a good glove, and a knack for working well with pitchers. His bat has not traditionally been an area of fear for other teams, but he hit .281 in a very lucky (high BABIP) 2011 season.

This would be a tremendous signing if it is completed. The Rays' rotation is fantastic as it is, but bringing in Molina can make young starts like David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, and Matt Moore even better. His defense will also be a great point. Kelly Shoppach did suprisingly well defensively in 2011, but Molina would undoubtedly be an upgrade. The best part about having Molina on our defense is that he wouldn't be on another team's defense, as he gave the Rays' running game fits last year. And although his bat is not tremendous, it still is better than the abysmal offensive output the Tampa Bay backstops produced last season.

Molina also brings some good fortune with him; a Molina brother has made the World Series in each of the last three seasons (Jose w/ NYY in 2009, Bengie w/ TEX in 2010, Yadier w/ STL and Bengie w/ TEX in 2011).