According to Joe Strauss, of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, it had to happen because anything else would have been wrong.
Fighting emotion, [Wainwright] thanked his mother who raised him alone, his older brother who mentored him, his agent and his teammates.
He cited the contributions of his former pitching coaches, Dave Duncan and Marty Mason, and his current one, Derek Lilliquist. He thanked his former co-ace, Chris Carpenter, for teaching him about tenacity. He then hugged club chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and general manager John Mozeliak for a second time.
?I?m a hugger,? Adam Wainwright said a bit haltingly.
... ?It makes me feel I?m way too blessed ? more than I deserve,? Wainwright said about continuing his career within sight of the Arch at Busch Stadium.
Coming from someone else the words might seem like so much hokum. However, Wainwright insisted talks be conducted without rancor and without becoming personal. Even when the talks? pace seemed to drag earlier this spring, Wainwright addressed the matter with a smile. ?If it didn?t work out, there were no hard feelings.?
If some wanted to attach his value to the five-year, $120 million deal signed by Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee, let them. This was about what comes first rather then squeezing the last nickel.
?I just realized I have complete peace about staying in St. Louis. That?s worth more than a few extra dollars,? Wainwright described shortly after leaving Roger Dean Stadium on Thursday afternoon. ?The opportunity to keep Cardinal tradition alive means a tremendous amount to me. This is honest stuff. It?s sincere. I?m not saying it because I feel any need to say it. If it wasn?t true, the situation might be different.?
At 31, Wainwright projects stability, professionalism and a track record within a rotation that next year may feature three pitchers yet to reach arbitration. Wainwright has won 19 and 20 games in a season. He has twice achieved a podium finish in balloting for the National League Cy Young Award. He owns the lowest career ERA (3.154) among active starting pitchers with at least 1,000 innings pitched. He also carries a career .625 win percentage, which ranks 10 among veteran starters.
Wainwright assures the Cardinals of an ace beyond this season to go with Jaime Garcia (26), Lance Lynn (25), Shelby Miller (22), and possibilities Joe Kelly (24), Seth Maness (24), Trevor Rosenthal (22), Michael Wacha (21) and Carlos Martinez (21).
Don?t weep for Wainwright offering a smidgen of a home-team discount. As he said, ?I?m definitely not getting scammed by the deal.?
Wainwright received the fifth guaranteed year that he demanded. The club, which initially offered $18 million per season within the five-year structure, talked Wainwright down from an AAV approaching $22 million.
?My teammates were a big factor in me wanting to come back here,? Wainwright said. Indeed, five veterans had attended the morning press conference along with manager Mike Matheny. ?I love our clubhouse from the attendants to every player in there. I just don?t know if it gets better anywhere else. I?ve had opposing players come up and say, ?You don?t know how good you have it here.? Actually, I do realize how good I have it.?
This contract is a perfect marriage between a buttoned-down organization and its appreciative player. Wainwright?s representation kept his promise that ?there wasn?t going to be any yelling and screaming? during talks, a blissful counter to when DeWitt threatened to walk away from contentious negotiations for Holliday in December 2009. Failed talks with Team Pujols in 2011 left marks still visible. Wainwright thought his process ?super relaxed? super cordial.?
A man of faith, Wainwright recited a verse from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy and allowed, ?To whom much is given, much is expected.? Wainwright found it difficult to read from handwritten notes during Thursday morning?s press conference. Eventually he spoke extemporaneously. He promised himself he wouldn?t ?cry like a baby? but at one point bowed his head to hide emotion. Near the end he looked to the front row and asked his daughters to come help their dad get through it.
Wainwright at one point referred to agent Steve Hammond as a spiritual advisor and a friend. He reflected on the December 2003 trade that sent the Georgia native from his beloved Atlanta Braves to the Cardinals. (The only minor leaguer in a five-player deal that included outfielder J. D. Drew, Wainwright represented the trade?s pivot point.) Once a trauma, the trade now strikes him and his team as a godsend.
My grandsons have a baseball autographed by Wainwright when we attended a game in Pittsburgh last season. He's a real nice guy toward fans, much friendlier than Pujols ever was. Despite being an infidel myself, I can appreciate Wainwright's dedication to his faith. Besides, we both have a high appreciation for baby back ribs.
Long term contracts for pitchers are horrible, but that's the nature of today's game. If anyone deserves a contract like this, it's Wainwright.
And his primary personal objective for the 2013 season? Not the CYA, but the Silver Slugger award. Adam says he should have won it in 2007 (.290/.323/.387/.710)and ought be be a lock now that Micah Owings is doing a "Rick Ankiel".
Oh, I was also thrilled to see that Ankiel will be the starting center fielder for the Astros on opening day, having hit .432/.481/.864/1.344 this spring. Of course, Cactus League stats mean even less than they do in the Grapefruit League.