St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach Mark McGwire prepares to run his fingers through the beard of closing pitcher Jason Motte after the third out and a 3-1 victory of the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
Closer Jason Motte signed a two-year contract with the Cardinals for $12 million that will buy out his final two seasons of arbitration-eligibility. At the end of the deal, Motte will be a free agent. Motte saved 42 of 47 games in 2012, becoming the fourth closer in Cardinals history to go over 40 in a season. Can you name the other three? Follow me on www.twitter.com/missourisportsfor the answer.
The Cardinals will now finalize contracts with David Freese and Marc Rzepczynski, the club’s two arbitration-eligible players who remain unsigned. Arbitration hearings will be held in February for players and clubs who cannot agree to contract terms independently.
The Cardinals are offering Freese $2.4 million. He wants $3.75 million. He made $518,000 last year.