ST. LOUIS (AP) - Pitcher Lance Lynn, among baseball’s winningest pitchers over the last three seasons, agreed Thursday to a $22 million, three-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Backup catcher Tony Cruz, like Lynn in arbitration for the first time, agreed to a $775,000, one-year deal.
Lynn’s 48 wins since 2012 are the third-most in the National League, and he’s been part of a rotation on a team that’s made it to the postseason a franchise-record four consecutive seasons.
The 27-year-old right-hander gets $7 million this year and $7.5 million in each of the following two seasons. He can make $500,000 in performance bonuses based on starts in 2016 and $1 million in 2017: $125,000 each for 25, 27, 29 and 31 in 2016 and $250,000 for each of those levels the following year.
Lynn made $535,000 last season, when he was 15-10 with a 2.74 ERA in 33 starts. He was the team’s first-round pick in the 2008 draft and is 49-28 with a 3.46 ERA in 119 games, 97 of them starts.
The agreement was reached(backslash), two days after Lynn filed for arbitration.
“His performance has led to much success for both he and the Cardinals organization,” general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement. “We look forward to his continued growth as both a pitcher
Only teammate Adam Wainwright (53) and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (51) have won more games in the NL during the last three seasons.
Lynn matched his high with 33 starts last year and his 2.74 ERA was a career best.
The 28-year-old Cruz has been lightly used behind star Yadier Molina, appearing in 152 games the last three seasons, and is a career .225 hitter. In 2013 he batted .200 with one homer and 17 RBIs in 50 games.
The Cardinals have two remaining players eligible for arbitration: outfielders Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos. Jay won back the starting job from Bourjos last season and hit .303 with a .372 on-base percentage, three homers and 46 RBIs, and hit .483 in the postseason.
Bourjos, acquired in the trade that sent David Freese to the Los Angeles Angels, hit .231 with four homers and 24 RBIs in 294 at-bats.
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