Last month Joel Pineiro couldn't wait to test the free agent market. By Monday morning he decided the market could survive without him for another two years.
Providing a degree of certainty for himself and the suddenly aggressive Cardinals, the pending free agent agreed to a two-year, $13 million contract that ensures a degree of depth for a starting rotation under renovation.
"I was going to test the market and see how it is," said Pineiro, who last winter accepted a one-year, $4 million contract with the Boston Red Sox that he thought offered an opportunity to start or close but actually did neither. "But there's no reason for it."
Pineiro, 29, was 6-4 with a 3.96 ERA in 11 starts after the Cardinals acquired him Red Sox in a July 31 non-waiver deadline deal. He struck out 40 against only 12 walks in 63 2/3 innings with the Redbirds. A throwaway to the Red Sox, he became a link to credibility for a rotation that never found its legs during a third-place season.
"St. Louis gave me that chance in July. They took a chance on me," Pineiro said. "That meant a lot to me personally. Everything else just clicked from there."
Pineiro receives a $500,000 signing bonus, $5 million in 2008 and $7.5 million in 2009.
Given that you can never tell how the free agent market is going to go, I don't have a problem with the Cards going with Pineiro. He pitched well down the stretch, even after most of the other Cards lost interest in the season. If he can eat up some innings he should certainly be able to fill the role that a Jeff Suppan did on this club.
Of course, other big questions remain, like are we going to get an outfield bat or not? The answer better be "yes" or the Cards will be looking up at Chicago and Milwaukee (and maybe even Cincy) for years to come.
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