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Cardinals sign Motte to one-year contract
(MLB.com)
Compromise can be a beautiful thing. Jason Motte and the Cardinals reached agreement Wednesday on a one-year contract for 2012, avoiding arbitration.
The deal is worth $1.95 million, according to CBSSports.com, which would be exactly halfway between the figures the two sides submitted in advance of a potential arbitration hearing.
General manager John Mozeliak confirmed that an agreement is in place, but as a matter of policy, the Cardinals do not disclose contract terms. Motte, who emerged as the club's closer late in 2011, requested $2.4 million when figures were exchanged. The club offered $1.5 million. In his last year prior to arbitration eligibility, Motte made $435,000.
In his third full season in the Major Leagues, Motte had his most effective campaign to date in 2011. He was 5-2 with career bests in saves (nine), innings (68), strikeouts (63), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.94). Motte appeared in 78 games in the regular season and 12 in the Cardinals' run to the World Series, allowing three earned runs in 12 1/3 October innings with five saves.
Motte was the only unsigned arbitration-eligible Cardinal. As a result, the team will avoid arbitration for the 13th straight winter. The team has not gone to a hearing since 1999, when it won its case against left-hander Darren ... [ More ]
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La Russa to manage in 2012 All-Star Game
(MLB.com) It turns out Tony La Russa's managing career isn't quite over after all.
The skipper, who retired after leading the Cardinals to the 2011 World Series title will manage the National League All-Star Team for the 2012 Midsummer Classic at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced Tuesday.
La Russa will be in charge of the NL All-Stars for the third time in his career (2005, 2007) and will be managing in the All-Star Game for the sixth time overall, matching Joe Torre for the fourth-most all-time behind only Hall of Famers Casey Stengel (10), Walter Alston (9) and Joe McCarthy (7). Along with his three All-Star managerial assignments with the Cardinals, La Russa earned the nod to lead ... [ More ]
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Former World Series MVP David Eckstein retires
(Sporting News) Veteran infielder David Eckstein, who won the 2006 World Series MVP award as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, has decided to retire, The Boston Globe reports.
Eckstein, a two-time All-Star, didn't play in 2011, but some teams were willing to give him a look in spring training, the newspaper says.
Eckstein played 10 seasons for the Anaheim Angels, Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamonbacks and San Diego Padres. He was among the league leaders in singles several times and had a lifetime average of .280 with an on-base percentage of .345 and 20 home runs.
He was the starting shortstop on two teams that won the World Series: the 2002 Angels and 2006 Cardinals. He won the 2006 Series MVP ... [ More ]
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