Cardinals sign Molina to five-year extension Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:24pm EST (Reuters) - The World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals and All-Star catcher Yadier Molina agreed on a five-year contract extension, the Major League Baseball team said on Thursday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but St. Louis media reports said the extension is worth $75 million, making the four-time Gold Glove winner the second highest paid catcher in the major leagues behind Minnesota Twins Joe Mauer. "Yadier possesses game-changing ability both in the field and at the plate," Cardinals' General Manager John Mozeliak, who made the announcement at the team's spring training headquarters in Jupiter, Florida, said in a statement. From his dramatic homer in the 2006 NLCS, to his handling of pitchers and controlling the opponent's running game, Yadier has proven to be a special talent when it comes to the all-important challenges of the catcher position. Molina led the Cardinals with a .305 batting average last season while slamming a career-high 14 home runs and 65 RBI. Drafted by the Cardinals in 2000, Molina has spent his entire eight-year major league career in St. Louis hitting 55 home runs and driving in 390 runs in 944 games. Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Frank Pingue