Luke Gregerson, Cardinals finalize $11M, 2-year contract
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) Reliever Luke Gregerson and the St. Louis Cardinals have finalized an $11 million, two-year contract.
A 33-year-old right-hander, Gregerson will have salaries of $5 million in each of the next two seasons, and St. Louis has a $5 million option for 2020 with a $1 million buyout. The option year would become guaranteed at $6 million if Gregerson pitches in 60 games in 2019 or 130 games in 2018-19 combined.
He can earn an additional $1 million annually in performance bonuses based on games finished.
Gregerson was 2-3 with a career-high 4.57 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 61 innings this year for the World Series champion Houston Astros, giving up a career-worst 13 home runs. He did not allow a run in five postseason games.
St. Louis selected Gregerson in the 2006 amateur draft and traded him to San Diego in March 2009. He pitched for the Padres (2009-13) and Oakland (2014) before signing an $18.5 million, three-year deal with Houston. He saved 31 games in 2015 and 15 more in 2016, when he lost his closer job two months into the season after five blown saves, including two in a row.
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