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.