The St. Louis Cardinals are giving veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright at least one more season to find the success he did as a rookie closer, as the two sides agreed on a one-year contract on Tuesday night. The free agent pitcher will make $5 million in guaranteed money in this contract, which includes a full no-trade clause. He can earn another $5 million with bonus incentives, but he will at least beat out the $2 million salary he earned in 2019. He did end up earning $8 million more with bonuses and incentives.
The Cardinals' starter will make $1.5 million per start if he reaches 20-25 starts, and $2 million if he gets to 28. The 38-year-old was originally a draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in the year 2000, but was trade to the Cardinals in 2003. His major league debut came in 2005, as he went on to get the final save of the 2006 World Series win over the Detroit Tigers. Since then, he has gone 162-95 as a starter with a 3.39 ERA and 1,776 strikeouts.
He earned this deal with a strong season this past year, which saw the Cardinals rally from a .500 mid-season record to a NL Central Division Title and an NLCS appearance. Wainwright went 14-10 with a 4.19 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 2019, and had a 162 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 16.1 Postseason innings. He ended up tied for sixth in the National League in wins, and is now in the top three as the longest-tenured Cardinals in franchise history. The veteran became the first Cardinal pitcher since Pete Alexander in 1928 to win 14 games or more at the age of 38 or older, and he still believes he has enough left in the tank for another Postseason run.
The Cardinals' starter will make $1.5 million per start if he reaches 20-25 starts, and $2 million if he gets to 28. The 38-year-old was originally a draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in the year 2000, but was trade to the Cardinals in 2003. His major league debut came in 2005, as he went on to get the final save of the 2006 World Series win over the Detroit Tigers. Since then, he has gone 162-95 as a starter with a 3.39 ERA and 1,776 strikeouts.
He earned this deal with a strong season this past year, which saw the Cardinals rally from a .500 mid-season record to a NL Central Division Title and an NLCS appearance. Wainwright went 14-10 with a 4.19 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 2019, and had a 162 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 16.1 Postseason innings. He ended up tied for sixth in the National League in wins, and is now in the top three as the longest-tenured Cardinals in franchise history. The veteran became the first Cardinal pitcher since Pete Alexander in 1928 to win 14 games or more at the age of 38 or older, and he still believes he has enough left in the tank for another Postseason run.
