Adam Wainwright has already announced his intentions to return for a 17th Major League season in 2022, and the widespread expectation is that he and the Cardinals will eventually agree to a new contract. Per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the two sides have been encouraged by “introductory” contract discussions and hope a new deal will be hammered out “in the near future.”
Wainwright turned 40 a month ago, but the right-hander isn’t showing his age whatsoever. To the contrary, he’s enjoying his best season in at least seven years. Wainwright is one of just three pitchers in Major League Baseball to have surpassed 200 innings in 2021, and his current 200 1/3 frames are already the most he’s thrown in a single season since his All-Star 2014 campaign, when he finished third in National League Cy Young voting. Wainwright currently boasts a 3.05 ERA with a 21.2 percent strikeout rate that’s a bit below the league average but strong walk and ground-ball percentages (6.0 and 46.9, respectively).
Wainwright’s fastball hasn’t averaged even 90 mph since the 2017 season, but that lack of velocity hasn’t hindered him so far, as he continues to rely on impeccable command and weak contact. Wainwright’s 21.5 percent called-strike rate is the highest of any qualified pitcher in baseball by a wide margin — Lance McCullers Jr. is second at 19.9 percent — and he’s comfortably better than average in terms of opponents’ average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel rate, according to Statcast.
The Cardinals were idle for much of the 2020-21 offseason, as ownership perhaps waited on additional clarity regarding potential attendance numbers in the wake of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign and the total lack of ticket revenue. Wainwright kickstarted the team’s offseason dealings when he agreed to a one-year, $8MM deal to return to the club on Jan. 29. Nolan Arenado was acquired just three days later, and Yadier Molina re-signed a week after that.
This time around, Molina has already re-signed (and surely campaigned for his longtime battery-mate to do the same). The 39-year-old backstop inked a one-year, $10MM extension back on Aug. 24 and announced that the 2022 season will be his last before retirement. That $10MM sum marked a slight raise for Molina over this year’s $9MM salary, and one would imagine that based on Wainwright’s brilliant year, he’d be in line for an even larger pay bump heading into the 2022 season. Wainwright has already unlocked bonuses based on games started, and he only needs a Top 10 finish in NL Cy Young balloting to receive an additional $500K bonus — an outcome that seems quite likely given his workload and general excellence on the mound this season.
If the NL gets the DH, bring back Pujols as a platoon bat and put Carpenter in the Fredbird costume – let whole old guard have one last go ’round!
I can def see Pujols returning for one year if the NL adopts the DH.
Me too. Between him, Yadi and Waino we’ll be talking about 125 or more years of experience. Big Al is the big ?
Seriously, I think some old blood keeps the youngsters awake and alert.
The problem with that is the new CBA is going to drag out. The NL will likely get the DH, but Pujols can’t pass up offers to DH in the AL. If he passes up an opportunity and the NL doesn’t get the DH he would be hurting his shot at reaching some milestones.
No
And I can definitely see Carpenter returning as Fredbird.
No way. He’s has 3 good years out of a 13 year career and none recently. Offloading his terrible contract is a major step for the Cards to buy some good starters.
He had 6 great years from 2013-2018, plus a good one in 2012, but anyway, you seem to be missing the joke. The idea is to only bring him back as the mascot, since he’s not a good player anymore.
That’s why he said they should only bring him back as the mascot.
This is just not accurate. Carpenter was a very good player much longer than 3 years, that is recency bias getting in the way.
What is taking so long? Mozeliak announce the 1 year extension. Waino is our ace this year.
STL has plenty of money, but they still want to spend as little as possible, just good business. Here’s hoping for a new deal REAL soon.
I get the nostalgia factor, but is Pujols actually the best player available for the job? He can’t play the field or run the bases, and he’s a platoon bat.
If he faces lefties 90% of the time, I’d say so. .959 OPS, 151 wRC+, .395 wOBA vs southpaws. In terms of wRC+, he will be the best FA vs LHP (unless you count guys with club options like Mike Zunino, Buster Posey and Andrew McCutchen).
Does Cutches option get picked up?
Agreed, but he can still hit well and it appears that part of the upcoming players collective bargaining agreement will make the NL use the same DH as the AL. I’m against that but if it’s forced on us who would you prefer over big Albert regardless of what his age really s?
No
No chance Pujols comes back. Mo shot this idea down at the season ticket holder breakfast a few weeks ago. The fans would rather have a winning team than a bench play force-fit into the lineup.
IF there is a DH, then Pujols as platoon with Gorman doesn’t sound too bad. Add unofficial assistant hitting coach duties to counterbalance Jeff Albert’s new fangled approach and he can provide a lot more than Carpenter this year.
That argument is tough to swallow as Carpenter and Andrew Miller are force fit into the lineup to appease Mo’s ego. Mo needs a clue.
Maybe Carp can be the batboy?
This season may take a toll on him that carries into next season. Hope not.
To “due” the same? Sorry, but when I see a mistake like this, or reason I point it out is because it indicates a lack of understanding of meaning as opposed to a spelling error.
Cry about it hosier
A bit like a late-career Greg Maddux. Hit your spots, work quickly, don’t walk people, keep the ball on the ground when possible. It’s nice to see a pitcher can still succeed this way.
And Jim Kaat before Maddux. A pitcher can’t succeed without hitting 95+ on the gun??? You must be crazy. What in the name of Jamie Moyer are you talking about????
Maddux gets the nod on this because he did it better. >=}
Sign him to a 1 year contract so he can retire with Molina.
Thanks Captain Obvious
Who says Wainwright will retire next year? The way he’s going, I could easily see him playing at least 2 more years.
Although, he may have less motivation to do so without Molina behind the plate.
Much of his success is due to Molina. Very few pitchers with similar talent have not benefitted from having such a great all around catcher.
A lot of money to give a 40 year old pitcher for next season. Wainwright already said no home team discount. I could see him signing with the Braves.
Nah
Always easier to spend other people’s money.
Like Atlanta’s?
That’s funny. I heard the same things from the Braves fans last year.
There is literally ZERO chance he bwcones a brave lol. No offense but the way the team is playing right now, the talent they have, molina returning, and their ability to basically sign whomever they wish next year (lot of money coming off the books) will all be factors that return Wainwright and yadi next to each other in 22
You literally (like many users here) don’t know the peoper use of literally.
Proper* ugh, sorry to add in another reply. Can’t edit on app.
The typo really cheapened your reply
Wainwright should learn a knuckleball. He could keep playing until he’s in AARP.
(I have read he wants to call it a career and spend time with family. Kudos to him on that. It would just be fun to imagine him reinventing himself.)
Seriously, the Cardinals are a middle-market (at best) team.
They “waited” for what, a month, maybe two in the offseason and then just went out and got what they needed to win now.
[Insert Thor “That’s what heroes do” gif here]
Why are the Cubs always so broke??
Getting Adam Wainwright was one of the best trades ever made by the Cardinals. Not only one of our all time great pitchers but also matched by his wonderful personality and his humanitarian works. Hoping he will be in the rotation for 2022.
Truth
Do you guys remember when last winter cub fans telling us how Arenado can’t hit away from Coors?
Or how about that Goldschmidt was done?
Put me down as one who claimed Goldschmidt was done. I’m here to take my lashes for it. He looked really bad early, but he has looked like………Paul Goldschmidt the second half. I was wrong and I own it.
His hard hit rate was still top5
Or how about that Yadi won’t be a HOF’er.
Baseball Reference has Yadi with about the same career WAR as Jason Kendall and noticeably less than Brian McCann. He also had to play a lot longer to get there than those guys which means on an average season to season basis he was worse than either of them in terms of WAR. Do you see both of those catchers as hall of famers, too?
WAR is a stupid stat…especially when referencing catchers…I hate these people who act like WAR is the end all be all stat…it’s a horrible stat
WAR is a stat for people who actually don’t know anything about a player or baseball for that matter and they try to use it to justify why a player isn’t that good when actually they have never even witnessed that player actually play a game
This is argument is based on that assumption that War is the star which determines HOF candidacy, which is a very bad one. Especially when it comes to catchers. Yadi will be elected to the HOF based on a LOT more than his War number.
Yadi first ballot HOF Book it!