Brian34Cook

New deal is set for Wainwright
03/20/2008


FEBRUARY 29, 2008--Adam Wainwright

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. • The Cardinals’ opening day starter and present-day ace Adam Wainwright is expected to sign a long-term contract today with the club that assures his place in its future.

The Cardinals plan to finalize and announce a multiple-year deal for Wainwright that could make him a fixture in the rotation through 2013.

The contract is pending the results of a physical Wainwright had Wednesday. Multiple sources said that an agreement had been reached. The club declined to comment, citing a policy of not discussing contract negotiations. Wainwright and his agent have also declined to comment.

For several weeks the Cardinals and Wainwright’s representative have been discussing the framework of a multiple-year deal, and they continued to negotiate after the team unilaterally renewed his contract for the 2008 season. The guaranteed part of the new contract is four years and expected to be worth around $15 million, and it will buy out Wainwright’s arbitration years, through 2011. The deal has an option that would cover the first two years of his free agency, sources said.

Previously, only Chris Carpenter and Yadier Molina have had contracts with the club that can extend through 2012.

The Cardinals have yet to publicly confirm Wainwright as the opening day starter for March 31 at Busch Stadium — they may in a news conference today — yet there is little doubt who will get the honor. Wainwright is coming off his first season as a major-league starter, and with Carpenter and Mark Mulder rehabbing from surgery, Wainwright is the staff’s budding star.

A year after serving as the Cardinals’ World Series-winning closer, Wainwright won 14 games, the most in club history by a first-year starter. He went 14-12 with a rotation-best 3.70 ERA, and after the All-Star break his 2.71 ERA was the fourth-lowest in all of baseball. Ten of his final 12 starts were quality starts.

STLtoday - New deal is set for Wainwright

Brian34Cook

Noon Thursday update:

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Cardinals confirmed this morning that they have signed starting pitcher Adam Wainwright to a long-term contract, as first reported by the Post-Dispatch.

Wainwright signed a four-year contract that guarantees him approximately $15 million, and it includes an option for two more years. The option is a team option, but Wainwright can trigger the two-year option by reaching specific innings-pitched and games-started incentives over the final two years of the new contract.

The option was a key to completing the deal, general manager John Mozeliak said, because it gave the Cardinals protection against injury and it gave them control over Wainwright's first two years as a free agent.

Before the deal, Wainwright would be eligible for free agency after the 2011 season.

"He embodies everything we look for in a player," Mozeliak said.

The club announced the deal Wednesday at their offices in Jupiter, Fla. Wainwright's agent, Steve Hammond, attended the press conference.

STLtoday - Wainwright signs new deal with Cardinals

Brian34Cook

Cards made a smart move by locking up Wainwright
03/22/2008

From the Cardinals' standpoint, the beauty of their contract with Adam Wainwright is that it offers protection on both ends of the spectrum.

If Wainwright breaks down physically, the Cardinals are obligated to pay him only $15 million over the next four seasons.

If Wainwright continues to develop as an ace, the Cardinals are covered by being able to pick up his two-year option worth a reasonable $21 million, and it will keep him off the free-agent market in 2012-2013.

At most, it's a six-year, $36 million deal. And when you consider that career mediocrities such as Carlos Silva are getting $12 million a year, the Wainwright terms are a tremendous bargain.

In 2007, his first as a starter, Wainwright had a 2.96 ERA from May 22 until the end of the season, the fourth-best starting-pitcher ERA in major-league baseball.

STLtoday - Cards made a smart move by locking up Wainwright

JohnDoolittle

It was a super move. Develop them and keep them till they are no longer productive. It looks to me like Wainwright is a Rick Sutcliffe clone. That should be good enough for him to take over as staff ace when Carpenter has had his run.