Cardinals sign starting pitcher Mike Leake to five year, $80 million deal
Free-agent starter Mike Leake and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a five-year, $80 million deal.
The deal also includes a no-trade clause and a mutual option that could increase the value of the deal to as much as $94 million.
"I was looking for some place to call home," Leake said in a press conference. "They were willing to work with us and we were willing to work with them."
Leake joins a starting rotation that already consists of Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez and veteran lefty Jaime Garcia.
Leake, 28, finished last season with the San Francisco Giants after a trade deadline deal. The right-hander had spent his first five MLB seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.
Leake has never won more than 14 games in a season and was 11-10 in 2015 between the Giants and Reds with a 3.70 ERA in 30 starts.
"When we make decisions, it is about performance," general manager John Mozeliak said. "We heard nothing but positives."
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