ST. LOUIS _ Fighting back tears as he thanked the younger brothers who sharpened his competitive edge through countless backyard competitions and the coaches who molded him from there, Cardinals right fielder Stephen Piscotty expressed gratitude that he will remain in St. Louis for the foreseeable future, and optimism about how his new contract extension will free him to focus on becoming the player both he and the Cardinals believe he can be.
A day after assuring that Yadier Molina will likely finish his career with the Cardinals, the club finalized a long-term extension with Piscotty that gives the 26-year-old security beyond his years.
The Cardinals announced a six-year contract extension with Piscotty on Monday afternoon. Multiple sources have confirmed to the Post-Dispatch that the contract will be for six years, and the guarantee is $33.5 million.
The deal includes an option for 2023 at $15 million, though the deal also includes escalators that would bump that to $18 million.
He could make a total of $50.5 million.
"This was a pretty easy decision for me," Piscotty said in front of a crowd that included Molina, left fielder Randal Grichuk, utility infielder Greg Garcia and members of the team's front office.
"It came down to the fact that, one, I love this organization, and two, this deal gives myself and my future family financial security. I have so many people to thank, and I'll start with my teammates, some of whom are here. I couldn't ask for a better group of guys to go into battle with. I'm surrounded by winners, competitors and outright studs. I get better just by being around you guys, so thank you."
Piscotty has one year of service time, so an extension is preemptive, and would include all of his remaining control years _ through 2022. He is one of the rare players with so little experience in the majors to sign a contract worth more than $30 million.
The Cardinals prefer to make such deals with players when they also include some free agent years. This one has the option to do so, and in exchange the Cardinals front-loaded the deal. Piscotty will be a $1-million player in 2017, and he receives a $2-million bonus.
Piscotty, who pursued this extension, would have the longest active contract on the team.
"Stephen has certainly lived up to his billing as a first-round draft choice with a promising future," Cardinals chairman Bill Dewitt Jr. said. "He has performed extremely well in his first year-and-a-half in the big leagues, and we look forward to him becoming a fixture in a Cardinals uniform. As you know, we have been proactive in signing young players over the years, those who we think can provide the basis for what we think will be future competitive teams, and Stephen is an example of that. We're very pleased to have him locked up for a number of years."
Piscotty hit .273 with an .800 OPS last season, his first full season in the majors. Set loose as the team's everyday right fielder when Jason Heyward left as a free agent, Piscotty emerged as one of the team's middle-order hitters in 2016. He adjusted his swing the season before to unlock more power in it, and that led to a career-high 22 home runs in 153 games last season.
He had a difficult spring as he continued to tune his swing, though singled in his first at-bat Sunday night and could eventually return to the team's cleanup role. He disclosed Monday that his spring struggles included some sleepless nights as his extension was finalized.
On Sunday, hours before the Cardinals' 4-3 win against the Cubs in both team's season opener, the team completed a three-year, $60-million contract with Molina, their Gold Glove catcher. Piscotty's will be the third extension since the end of last season, following Carlos Martinez's and Molina's.
Since the end of last season, the Cardinals have spent $224 million in new money on three players already on the roster and two free agents. Piscotty's contract would push that to greater than $250 million.
The deals began with lefty Brett Cecil's four-year, $30.5-million contract, and then peaked with Dexter Fowler's five-year, $82.5-million deal. Three extensions for current players followed, starting in February with Martinez's five-year, $51-million extension that includes options for 2022 and 2023.
Molina's contract will pay $20 million each year, from 2018 through 2020. And Piscotty's deal is expected to extend beyond that.
A contract for Piscotty follows in the pre-arb deals that the Cardinals have done for Matt Carpenter, Allen Craig, and Kolten Wong.
"As I think about Mr. Piscotty, one of the things that jumps out at me is that he embodies everything we look for in a player, in a teammate and in a person," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. "Stephen continues to grow as that player, and we believe he will continue to make an impact not only with his glove, but also his bat in the future. As a teammate, he has an amazing work ethic and leadership. We envision this to have a position impact on many players to come."
