ST. LOUIS _ When Adam Wainwright stood at spring training and considered the end of his contract, he said, repeatedly, that his plan was to force the team to want him back. His season took a more scenic route than planned _ winding through rehab assignments and recovery, from Springfield, Mo., to Memphis, to a playoff race in September _ but the destination was the same.
The team wanted him back.
Conversations that started toward the end of the season reached agreement Thursday as the Cardinals finalized and announced a one-year deal with their veteran ace. Wainwright's salary will be heavily based on incentives, and the contract provides bonuses based on games started and game appearances, so whether he's a starter or reliever he can still maximize the value of the contract.
The team made the deal official with a tweet. Wainwright, 37, returns to the only major-league team he's known and to a franchise where his career records rank in the top 10 of most pitching categories.
Only Bob Gibson, for example, has more strikeouts.
"The biggest part of this was early in the season, in spring, he looked good, and later in the season when he was feeling good, he pitched well," said general manager Michael Girsch. "He was back to being Adam of the last few years. And of course what he brings as a mentor for the young pitchers, for the players and for really anyone in the clubhouse and means to the team has always been important."
Wainwright went 2-4 with a 4.46 ERA in eight starts for the Cardinals this past season. He missed the bulk of the year recovering from elbow soreness that at least once forced him to consider the possibility he would not pitch, competitively, again. He had a breakthrough during his rehab at the start of August, and by September he returned to the Cardinals rotation. He made four starts in September and twice pitched more than six innings. The Cardinals won three of his four starts, including a game against the Dodgers when he pitched six scoreless innings.
In 13 years with the Cardinals, Wainwright has gone 148-85 with a 3.32 ERA in 352 games, 285 of which have been starts. From 2009-2014, Wainwright finished top three in Cy Young Award voting four times. At the end of Wainwright's new contract, only Gibson and Jesse Haines will have spent longer with the Cardinals as a pitcher.
Specific financial terms of the one-year deal were not disclosed.
Wainwright has previously said that he knew a return to the Cardinals would not come with the guarantee of a role. He has said that he would welcome a move to the bullpen if that's where the team saw him best contributing, but his preference has been to remain a starter.
He will come to spring training as a starter for the Cardinals, Girsch said. Performance and need throughout March and into the season will determine the veteran's role for the 2019 season.
