The Cardinals and their likely starting center fielder Tommy Edman were unable to reach an agreement on a contract ahead of Thursday's deadline, thus paving the way for an arbitration hearing between the two sides this spring.
Five arbitration-eligible players did finalize one-year deals with the Cardinals, including newly added reliever Andrew Kittredge. The team also confirmed agreements with All-Star closer Ryan Helsley, outfielder Dylan Carlson, and two lefty relievers, John King and JoJo Romero.
Kittredge agreed to a one-year deal worth $2,262,500, according to a source with knowledge of the deal. The Post-Dispatch reported Thursday morning that the Cardinals and Carlson had reached an agreement on a $2.35-million contract for the 2024 season.
People are also reading…
Other contract details will be updated here when confirmed.
By 7 p.m. ºüÀêÊÓƵ time Thursday, the Cardinals and representatives for Edman will submit and exchange salary figures. The Cardinals' salary figure is considered an offer that Edman could agree to immediately. More likely, the salary figures will be presented to an arbiter at a hearing closer to spring training, and the arbiter can choose between the two figures, not a midpoint or some other value between the two.
Helsley went through the process last year and lost in the hearing. He said it was "tough" to sit through the Cardinals' argument and criticism of his performance.
"It’s definitely (difficult) to go in there and swallow and take that on the chin, if you will,†he said.
The Cardinals have adopted a "file and trial" approach to arbitration, bringing some urgency to reaching agreements ahead of Thursday's deadline. It was once common practice for teams and representatives to file salary figures and then come to an agreement at or near the midpoint. That practice led to some "midpoint inflation," and the Cardinals were among many teams that shifted to pledge that if they exchange salary figures with a player they're going to a hearing.
The exception the Cardinals have carved out for themselves is any negotiation that leads to a multi-year contract.
Edman, 28, has been one of the best defensive players in the majors over the past three seasons, regardless of what position he plays. He was a finalist again this past season for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award given to a utility fielder, and Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol has repeatedly said that he expects Edman to win a Gold Glove in center field if he plays the position every day.
The Cardinals see Edman as their starting center fielder entering the season, betting that top prospect Masyn Winn will secure the starting job at shortstop.
Edman hit .248 with a .307 on-base percentage this past season. A switch-hitter, Edman is one of the Cardinals' leaders in games played over the past three seasons while starting at second base, shortstop, and center field. He's also hit .259 with a .313 on-base percentage and a .708 OPS in the past three seasons.
A year ago, the Cardinals and Edman reached an agreement on a one-year, $4.2-million deal to avoid arbitration in his first year of eligibility.Â
The Cardinals acquired Kittredge this past week from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfielder Richie Palacios. Kittredge, 33, is entering his final year before free agency. He threw 11 2/3 innings in the majors this past season after returning from elbow surgery. An All-Star in 2021, Kittredge has walked only five of the past 211 batters he's faced.Â
Kittredge joined the Best Podcast in Baseball to discuss the trade, how he developed his slider, and what being with the Rays meant to his career.
Romero and King were eligible for arbitration for the first time in their career, and King qualified as a Super-2 with slightly less than three years of major-league service time. The Cardinals believe Romero has some of the best stuff of any returning reliever, and they hope he emerges as part of their late-inning equation for high-leverage spots. He was going to get a look at closer late in 2023 before a knee injury and some arm soreness ended his year. Â
Helsley's first experience with arbitration resulted in a one-year, $2.15-million deal this past season. Injuries limited him to 33 games in 2023. Over the past two seasons, including his All-Star summer of 2022, Helsley has 33 saves and in 101 1/3 innings he's struck out 146 to go with a 1.69 ERA.