The 46-year-old Molina joined the Angels organization as a minor league catching coordinator in 2015 and was added to the big league staff a couple years back. Jose, like brothers Yadier and Bengie, was a fine big league catcher himself, spending parts of 15 years in the Majors — including seven with the Halos. He won a ring with the 2002 Angels and took home a second World Series ring as a member of the 2009 Yankees. In 947 big league games, Molina hit .233/.282/.327 while drawing consistent praise for his defensive prowess and handling of his pitching staffs.

Molina joined the Angels as their minor league catching coordinator just a few weeks after the hiring of general manager Billy Eppler, who was dismissed and replaced by current GM Perry Minasian last winter. It’s not clear yet whether Molina was under contract for the 2022 season, but it’s fairly common for teams to make some changes at this level once a new GM has had a year to acclimate and get a feel for their new organization. Given Molina’s lengthy playing career and six seasons of experience with the Halos in both the big leagues and the minors, it stands to reason that he could find a new opportunity with another organization if he plans to continue coaching.

• The Athletics have announced a pair of promotions within their front office. They’ve promoted director of player personnel Billy Owens to assistant GM, director of player personnel. Director of professional scouting and baseball development Dan Feinstein, meanwhile, is now assistant GM, pro scouting and player personnel.
• The Angels have named Jose Molina their catching coordinator. As MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets, that’s a new position for the organization. Gonzalez further clarifies that Molina will mostly be working with minor leaguers. On paper, this looks like a terrific hire for the Angels, since Molina had a rock-solid reputation as a pitch-framing catcher. Molina caught for the Angels for parts of seven seasons, mostly serving as his brother Bengie’s backup. The 40-year-old last appeared in the big leagues with the Rays in 2014.

Molina, 39, has fifteen years of big league action on his resume. He appeared in 80 games last year with the Rays, slashing a career-low .178/.230/.187. That historically unproductive offensive line was out of character for his career, though Molina carries only a .608 career OPS.

Of course, Molina has long been regarded as a preternaturally good pitch framer. That statistically-supported reputation surely would have landed him another opportunity, but it appears that his (as-yet unknown) injury and procedure will prevent that. Whether the aging veteran will be able to engineer an eventual return remains to be seen.

• Buster Olney, writing for ESPN Insider (subscription required), evaluated 11 players and managers at a career crossroad. Among them was new Red Sox hurler Rick Porcello, whose performance in media hungry Boston will set the stage for his first foray into free agency. The former Tiger is a command and control specialist with a career 4.30 ERA. Last season was his best, with a 3.43 ERA and strong peripherals. A repeat performance will presage a tidy payday.
• Top free agent Max Scherzer is a potential fit for 11 clubs, writes Richard Justice of MLB.com. Justice describes the use case for each potential. From my own perspective, none of the potential fits is particularly compelling. Either budget or need seemingly provides a barrier. Still, if history has taught us anything, somebody is going to pay for Scherzer. Even if they’re bidding against the Mystery Team.

• The Rays have placed catcher Jose Molina and infielder Cole Figueroa on release waivers, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Both were designated for assignment recently. Molina figures to clear given his $2.75MM price tag.
• The Pirates have released catcher Ramon Cabrera, per the MLB.com transactions page. Cabrera was designated along with Ike Davis on Thursday. He has yet to see action at the big league level.
• Release waivers are, of course, one way to resolve a DFA case. Per MLBTR’s DFA Tracker, several other players are still in limbo after a busy week of roster trimming: Ramiro Pena (Braves), Michael Kohn (Rays), Alfredo Marte (Angels), Juan Gutierrez (Giants), Yeison Asencio (Padres), Blaine Boyer (Padres), Ezequiel Carrera (Tigers), Ronald Belisario (White Sox), Jackson Williams (Angels), Michael Roth (Angels), Jarret Martin (Dodgers), Andrew Brown (Athletics), Scott Barnes (Indians), and Ryan Jackson (Dodgers).

Here are the latest notes from around baseball:

• Miguel Montero placed tenth on Castrovince’s list and Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter) wonders if the hiring of Henry Blanco will create traction for the Cubs’ interest in the Diamondbacks’ catcher, who was a Blanco pupil in 2014. The D’Backs have reportedly spoken with the Cubs, Dodgers, and White Sox about Montero.
• With Jose Molina gone, the Rays are working to add a backup to Ryan Hanigan, either via trade or signing. They’d like a catcher with more experience than Curt Casali and, preferably, options, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
• More from Topkin who reports, in addition to an expected trade of Matt Joyce and/or David DeJesus, the Rays may be looking to deal from depth in reserve infielders and relievers. He identifies Logan Forsythe and Sean Rodriguez as infield trade possibilities and Brandon Gomes as a bullpen arm who could be moved.
• It may not be “sexy,” but the Red Sox’s pursuit of Pablo Sandoval makes perfect sense, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. The Red Sox appear to be one of the finalists for Sandoval, alongside the Padres and incumbent Giants.
• Torii Hunter told Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press he favors the Twins among the teams with which he is considering signing. “(Twins General Manager) Terry Ryan and I have talked several times, and there’s definitely a common interest there, for sure,” the veteran said. Ten teams reportedly have interest in Hunter.
• The Pirates could re-allocate the resources set aside for Russell Martin to pursue rotation and bullpen help, a first baseman, and/or sign some of their young core to extensions, according to Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The 39-year-old Molina is known as one of the game’s best defensive catchers — a driving factor behind his two-year deal — but his offense dipped to a point in 2014 where the Rays likely felt that his glove’s benefit did not outweigh his bat. Molina batted just .178/.230/.187 in 247 plate appearances. Of his 40 hits, just two — a pair of doubles — went for extra bases. In his Offseason Outlook for the Rays, MLBTR’s Zach Links speculated that Molina’s lack of offense might lead to the Rays looking elsewhere at the catcher position.

Molina has thrown out 37 percent of base-stealers in his career and is known as an excellent pitch framer. That defensive prowess has helped him remain in the Majors for parts of 15 seasons despite the fact that he is a career .233/.282/.327 hitter in nearly 2800 plate appearances.

If Molina is out of the picture, the Rays will likely rely on Ryan Hanigan and rookie Curt Casali to split their catching duties, barring the acquisition of a catcher from outside the organization.

Here’s more from Topkin’s piece and the rest of the AL East…

• While trading Yunel Escobar to the A’s or letting him go on waivers might’ve been popular with Rays fans (and even some in the clubhouse, Topkin notes), the team held onto him for multiple reasons. Firstly, the Rays are confident that Escobar will rebound from a tough 2014 season next year. They also don’t trust Ben Zobrist at shortstop next year in his age-34 season and aren’t sold on Nick Franklin’s defense at short. Nor are they certain whether or not Hak-Ju Lee and Tim Beckham will be ready in 2015. Beyond that, the Rays don’t feel they can replace Escobar for as cheap little as he stands to earn in 2015 ($5MM).
• Kelly Johnson, who went to the Orioles as the key to a four-player deal Saturday night, is now headed to his fifth straight AL East team. He’s happy to be headed to a likely playoff team in Baltimore, he tells the Providence Journal’s Tim Britton. “It’s crazy,” says Johnson. “Obviously I’ll be familiar with the surroundings. … I’m obviously excited to be in a situation where you’re on a first-place team.”
• In a second piece, Britton also looked at the struggles of Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley, and he spoke with Red Sox assistant GM Mike Hazen about whether or not the hardships experienced by that duo has led the Sox to reevaluate their evaluation process for young players. Hazen speaks at length about the league-wide decline of offense, the increase in defensive shifts and the progress made in scouting reports, noting that it’s tougher now for young players to break through.

Here’s the latest out of the American League:

• Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe provides a few notes on the Red Sox, via Twitter, that could impact the team’s trade deadline plans. The club prefers to keep Koji Uehara for the 2015 campaign, he says, though of course the closer is slated to hit the open market. Meanwhile, the team would prefer to keep Xander Bogaerts at third for the present, but could nevertheless be open to dealing Stephen Drew if he can show some kind of turnaround at the plate.
• The Royals are “looking hard” at options to bolster their pen, Cafardo further reports (Twitter link). Though the Kansas City pen ranks third in the game in accumulated fWAR, much of that has come from top options Greg Holland, Wade Davis, and Kelvin Herrera. And the relief corps rates just 19th in cumulative ERA (3.68). Among the Royals’ remaining active relievers, Aaron Crow and Francisley Bueno have outperformed their peripherals, Louis Coleman has struggled by any measure, and Scott Downs was knocked around yesterday after three quality outings to start his tenure with his second club of the season.
• The Rays will listen on catcher Jose Molina, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports on Twitter. Olney wonders whether the Cardinals would consider looking into the older brother of the injured Yadier Molina. It is worth bearing in mind, of course, the elder Molina is under contract for next season at $2.75MM.
• With few intriguing bats available, the Mariners should go all in by pursuing Rays ace David Price, argues Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Seattle should be able to fit Price’s salary this year and next, says Rosenthal, and the surely steep price in terms of prospects would be worth it to a club that could seize an opportunity to make a postseason run.

• James Wagner and Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post have a Nationals mailbag piece of their own, which includes Kilgore's opinion that the Nats won't pursue Masahiro Tanaka "in any meaningful way" since he'll command too high a price.  That said, the Nats have scouted Tanaka and like him; the baseball operations department feels Tanaka is "pretty close in quality to Yu Darvish" except they project Tanaka as a dominant ground-ball pitcher instead of a big strikeout arm.   
• Rather than spend on Tanaka, the Nationals will use their remaining funds on extensions for Ian Desmond and Jordan Zimmermann.  Kilgore opines that the Nats could sign Tanaka and then use Zimmermann as trade bait (as they may explore trading him next winter anyway if he can't be extended), but he firmly says that this scenario is just his speculation and it's "not happening" in real life.
• Based on past indications by ownership, the Nationals' payroll will never rise much higher than $140MM in the near future.  The Lerners could eventually change course and elevate the payroll to nearer the luxury tax level, Kilgore writes, if they believed such spending would generate more revenue.
• The Nationals could bolster their roster with five lower-tier free agents, Chase Hughes of CSNWashington.com writes.  Jeff Baker and John Buck would add veteran depth for the bench, Mike Gonzalez or Oliver Perez would fit as more left-handed depth in the bullpen and Fernando Rodney could be a surprise closer signing if the Nats are still unsatisfied with the back end of their bullpen.

NOVEMBER 24, 4:29pm: Topkin tweets the contract details: $1.75MM in 2014 and $2.75MM in 2015. Topkin adds Molina is set to take a physical either Monday and Tuesday and, once that is complete, the deal is expected to become official.

2:59pm: The Rays have reached a two-year, $4.5MM agreement with catcher Jose Molina, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSsports.com. Molina is represented by ACES, per MLBTR's Agency Database.

Molina is expected to be Jose Lobaton's backup after starting a career-high 87 games behind the plate in 2013, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Topkin adds the middle Molina brother had received interest from other clubs, but liked the Rays' competitive situation, playing for manager Joe Maddon, and living in the Tampa Bay area, not far from his Puerto Rico home. The Rays had been linked as a possible trade partner for the Reds' Ryan Hanigan.

Molina batted .233./.290/.304 in a career-best 313 plate appearance (99 games) for the Rays last season, his lowest offensive output in the past four years. However, the 38-year-old is regarded as one of the game's best defensive catchers (although his lack of mobility resulted in 33 wild pitches and eight passed balls in 2013) and is an expert in the art of pitch-framing. Molina has also thrown out 38% of opposing base-stealers throughout his career.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

• Peralta's deal raises the uncomfortable issue of PED usage paying off, writes Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.  Diamondbacks relief pitcher and team union representative Brad Ziegler took his dissatisfaction with the deal to Twitter, but he's far from the only player who has an issue with players linked to PEDs getting major paydays.
• Heyman looks at the market for Jarrod Saltalamacchia and wonders if the Blue Jays, Twins, or Rockies could steal him away from the Red Sox.  The Rangers look like another possibility to some, but one person connected with the club says a return for Salty isn't too likely at the moment.  Texas has looked at free agent catchers, but they've also suggested that Geovany Soto will be their fulltime backstop.
• The Rays' are still waiting on results of Jose Molina's physical and therefore won't have an announcement on his signing until early next week, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Molina is expected to ink a two-year, $4.5MM pact to stay with Tampa Bay.
• The opportunity to win attracted Skip Schumaker to the Reds, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.  Schumaker said his decision came down to the Reds and one other unspecified playoff-caliber team.
• In today's inbox, MLB.com's Corey Brock touches on the possibility of star third baseman Chase Headley being moved and other matters surrounding the Padres.

• The Yankees are refusing to punt and are living for today with their Brian McCann signing, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  McCann's lefty pull power should provide a huge boost in 2014 (and probably '15 and '16), but beyond that is a mystery.
• Within the same article, Sherman writes that the Yankees are now more upbeat about the chances of Hiroki Kuroda returning.  There remains a chance that the veteran pitcher decides to play in Japan next season. 
• The McCann agreement allows the Yankees to take their time developing Gary Sanchez, their top prospect per MLB.com, knowing McCann will eventually move to first base or they can use him as a trade chip, tweets the New York Daily News' Mark Feinsand. 
• Feinsand, in a second tweet, sees the backup job coming down to Austin Romine and Francisco Cervelli with Chris Stewart being non-tendered. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz estimates the arbitration eligible Cervelli and Stewart will each earn $1MM.
• Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com wonders how McCann's new $85MM deal with the Yankees affects the Orioles' Matt Wieters.  Wieters’ offensive numbers aren’t as good, but he is is two years younger than McCann and Scott Boras will certainly dig up data to show that Wieters is deserving of more money.
• Meanwhile, Alex Speier of WEEI.com looks at what McCann's deal might mean for Red Sox free agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  Salty is now the best avaialble free agent catcher and his market should now start to take shape. 
• A combination of familiarity and affordability led to Jose Molina returning to the Rays, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Financial terms of the yet-to-be-completed deal are not yet known, but Topkin writes that it's unlikely that he received more than the $3.3MM total he made the last two seasons.
• The Orioles won't re-sign Tsuyoshi Wada, according to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. The O's declined their club option on Wada earlier this month; but, at the time, the door was said to be open for a minor league deal in Baltimore.
• The Orioles need to be creative in wringing the most value out of Jim Johnson, writes the Baltimore Sun's Eduardo A. Encina. Encina dangles the idea of moving Johnson, who MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects to receive $10.8MM in arbitration, into the rotation, but that begs the questions of whether starting is a good fit for the 30-year-old right-hander and who will step in as closer. 

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

2:51pm: The Rays are making progress on re-signing catcher Jose Molina, according to ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter link). The two sides could be working on a two-year deal, Olney hears.

The 38-year-old Molina batted .233./.290/.304 in 99 games for the Rays last season — the lowest offensive output of the past four years for Molina. However, he's regarded as one of the game's best defensive catchers and is an expert in the art of pitch-framing. He's also caught 38 percent of opposing base-stealers throughout his career.

The Rays currently figure to deploy Jose Lobaton as their everyday backstop. Other free agent options such as Brian McCann, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and perhaps even A.J. Pierzynski may be well beyond the Rays' price range. They've been linked to Ryan Hanigan as well, who would represent an affordable, defense-first alternative for GM Andrew Friedman, should things with Molina fall through.

Both Molina ($1.8MM) and Shields ($10.25MM) were expected to have their options picked up. The 35-year-old Rodney pitched to a 0.60 ERA with 48 saves this year, so his $2.5MM option was a no-brainer. Scott, 34, hit .229/.285/.439 with 14 homers and will receive a $1MM buyout rather than a $6MM salary.