St. Louis signs lefty Penny to 1-year deal
A rather quite offseason provoked some criticism towards the St. Louis Cardinals’ General Manager John Mozeliak this time last year. But nevertheless, the team was able to make the playoffs in ‘09 for the first time in the years.
This year, all of Major League Baseball has been rather quite, as baseball hibernates from season to season. But it was on Tuesday that the Cardinals stirred the sport’s slumber and announced the signing of left-handed pitcher Brad Penny.
The signing add depth to the Cardinals” pool of starting pitching that is already over most other teams heads. Penny joins Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright at the front of St. Louis’ rotation, making the Cardinals pitching staff as good as any in the game.
Penny, who will turn 32 next May, is a two-time all-star and a 105-career game winner. In 2006, he posted 16-4 record, good for third in the Cy Young Award voting. But the past two seasons have been rough for Penny, going a combined 17-18 with a 5.37 ERA.
In 2009, Penny donned the Boston Red Sox jersey for the first 24 games of the season and went a mere 7-8 before being released. He then signed on with the San Francisco Giants, with whom he played very well for the remainder of the season, going 4-1. The Cardinals hope his late-season success will spill over into the next decade.
Penny’s one-year deal is reported to be worth 7.5 million. Baring a tragedy, he will be the first left-hander to start a game for the Cardinals since Jaime Garcia in August of 2008.
St. Louis still has one position left to fill in the starting rotation, Kyle Lohse being the one not aforementioned. What happens with free-agent Matt Holliday will likely determine to fate of the 5th spot. If he signs with the Cardinals, a minor league pitcher will likely fill the role, but he does not, another pitcher could be signed.
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