St. Louis Cardinals Wiretap

Encarnacion Agrees To Three-Year Deal With Cards

The St. Louis Cardinals reportedly have settled on who will replace the retired Larry Walker in right field.

Juan Encarnacion has agreed to a three-year, $15 million deal with St. Louis, MLB.com reported Friday.

Encarnacion's agent, Eric Goldschmidt, confirmed the deal to MLB.com and said it is pending a physical.

"There were quite a few teams interested in Juan," Goldschmidt told MLB.com. "At one time we had probably nine or 10 clubs in the mix. Juan's preference was to play right field. There were a lot of clubs looking at him as a center fielder, but he wanted to play right field, he wanted to play on a competitive ballclub and if possible, he wanted to stay in the National League and stay off the West Coast."

Via ESPN

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Royals Near Deal For Sanders

The Kansas City Royals' quest for a corner outfielder may be nearing an end, with the team trying to reach an agreement with Reggie Sanders on a two-year contract worth about $10 million.

"We're trying to work toward that," Royals general manager Allard Baird said Thursday night.

The 38-year-old Sanders could provide some much-needed offense to go along with what appears to be an improved Kansas City defense. He hit .271 with 21 home runs and 54 RBIs in 295 at-bats last season for St. Louis, missing nearly two months after breaking his right leg in an outfield collision with Jim Edmonds.

Sanders had 10 RBIs in the Cardinals' three-game sweep of San Diego in the first round of the playoffs, hitting a grand slam and driving in six runs in the opener.

Asked if he was close to a deal, Baird would only say: "I just don't believe in `close' until it's done. Believe me, if we had it done, I would announce it."

Via AP

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Ponson Signs One-Year Deal With Cards

Pitcher Sidney Ponson agreed to a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, three months after the Baltimore Orioles voided the pitcher's contract and released him.

Ponson's agreement with the Cardinals calls for a $1 million base salary and allows him to earn an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses, a baseball official said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because St. Louis had not announced the deal.

His decision to sign with the Cardinals was first reported Wednesday by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Ponson had a $7.5 million salary last year under a $22.5 million, three-year contract. He was arrested Aug. 25 and charged with driving under the influence and driving while impaired. He served a five-day jail sentence last week for driving while impaired. Under a plea agreement, the charge of driving under the influence was dropped.

Baltimore released him on Sept. 6 and the team voided his contract, prompting a grievance from the players' association seeking he be paid the remaining $11 million called for in the Orioles' contract. The case is scheduled to be heard in March by arbitrator Shyam Das.

Via ESPN

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Cardinals Continue To Court Dotel

The Cardinals continue to be courting righthanded reliever Octavio Dotel, Jocketty confirmed Thursday night. And their interest in another righthander, reliever Felix Rodriguez, would grow if Dotel elects to take his comeback from elbow ligament surgery to another club. Jocketty said he would like to get one more righthanded reliever. Reliever Rudy Seanez has also been discussed as a possibility, though other teams have made offers to him.

Dotel's agent has said he is seeking a one-year deal rich with incentives, and Rodriguez could also be a one-year or one-year-plus-option signing.

Via Post-Dispatch

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Looper Replaces Tavarez In St. Louis

Braden Looper and the Cardinals agreed Thursday to a $13.5 million, three-year contract, giving St. Louis another newcomer in the bullpen.

Looper had 28 saves in 36 chances with a 3.94 ERA for the New York Mets last season, but will be a setup man for closer Jason Isringhausen with the Cardinals. The 31-year-old right-hander fills a slot held the past two seasons by Julian Tavarez, who became a free agent.

Looper's deal calls for salaries of $3.5 million in 2006, $4.5 million in 2007 and $5.5 million in 2008. He can earn $1 million annually in performance bonuses, some of them based on games finished in case he becomes the closer.

Via AP

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