Cardinals To Sign Mike Leake
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals and free-agent right-hander Mike Leake have agreed to terms on a contract, a person with direct knowledge of the deal said Tuesday.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been formally announced, said the signing is pending the results of a physical. The deal is for five years and $80 million, according to reports, with a mutual option as well that could increase the value to around $94 million.
General manager John Mozeliak has scheduled a news conference on Tuesday afternoon at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals failed to land outfielder Jason Heyward and pitcher David Price earlier this offseason. They also lost right-hander John Lackey, their staff leader last season, in free agency to the Cubs. Right-hander Lance Lynn will miss the 2016 season due to reconstructive elbow surgery.
Leake, 28, is 64-52 with a 3.88 ERA in six seasons, and won 14 games in 2013.
Last season, Leake was 9-5 with a 3.56 ERA with the Cincinnati Reds before going to the Giants at the trade deadline. In San Francisco, he went 2-5 with a 4.07 ERA for a season total of 11-10 and a 3.70 ERA.
The Cardinals anticipate that ace Adam Wainwright, who missed most of last season with a torn left Achilles, and Carlos Martinez, sidelined in September by a shoulder injury, will be ready for spring training. They also have Jaime Garcia and Michael Wacha as starters, with Marco Gonzales and Tyler Lyons potentially in the mix.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
