Cardinals pitcher Todd Wellemeyer will leave his old Kentucky home this morning for the long drive to Jupiter, Fla., and his first spring training as an entrenched member of the rotation. He's leaving one bit of baggage behind.
There will be no worrying about his contract. Wellemeyer and outfielder Chris Duncan agreed to one-year deals Monday, avoiding arbitration with the club and leaving the Cardinals with three arbitration-eligible players unsigned for 2009. After one season of showing he belonged as a starting pitcher, Wellemeyer is being paid more like one, with a salary of $4.05 million for the coming year.
"I knew I was going to get somewhere around that number, and I didn't see any reason to just drag it out," Wellemeyer said. "We settled on something right in the middle. I know last year reflects how they feel about me, and about how they feel I can do as a starter. I think they got a bargain."
Wellemeyer, after years bouncing between the minors and several major-league bullpens, made 32 starts last season and went 13-9 with a 3.71 ERA. He set career highs across the back of his Baseball card, including 134 strikeouts in 191 2/3 innings and a .245 batting average against, which ranked 15th lowest in the National League. He went 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA in May to win the league's pitcher of the month award.
Wellemeyer, 30, is inked into the Cardinals' 2009 rotation as the No. 3 or No. 4 starter, though manager Tony La Russa said more is expected.
Pitching coach Dave Duncan "can get a little feisty when you talk about Todd as a bottom of the rotation starter," La Russa said Monday at the Winter Warm-Up. "Duncan sees him a lot better than that. He's capable of being a top-three starter."
Duncan, 27, finalized an $825,000 deal even after a 2008 season hampered and then halted by injury. The outfielder entered last season still recovering from surgery to repair a sports hernia in the offseason, and in the middle of last season began have shooting sensations and pain from a degenerative disk in his neck. Duncan had the disk replaced this offseason, and he said this weekend that he's done with rehab and deep into his preparation for spring training.
La Russa described Duncan on Monday as a de facto fourth outfielder, saying what Duncan did when he was healthy puts him on level with Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker and Rick Ankiel. In 655 at-bats over the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Duncan hit 43 home runs and had 103 RBIs. The injuries held him to six home runs and 52 strikeouts against 55 hits in 222 at-bats last season.
"I'm excited to re-prove myself," Duncan said. "I have to prove I'm healthy, show I'm still a good player ... and everything else should fall into place."
Wellemeyer will arrive in Jupiter, the site of the Cardinals' spring training facility, in time to work out there Wednesday with Ankiel. By then, Ankiel could also have a deal in place. Ankiel, Ludwick and pitcher Brad Thompson are the three remaining arbitration-eligible players without completed contracts.
WBC Rosters
Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick were placed Monday on their countries' provisional rosters for the World Baseball Classic, which include up to 45 players. The final rosters of 28 players must be set by Feb. 24.
Pujols will probably be held out of the tournament (see story, C1), and Ludwick expects to turn down the invitation.
St. Louis' greatest representation will be on Team Puerto Rico, where Yadier Molina and Joel Pi?eiro are on the provisional roster. Cardinals coach Jose Oquendo will manage the Puerto Rican squad.
The provisional rosters also include five Cardinals minor leaguers. Pitcher Blake Hawksworth is on the Canadian roster, infielder Curt Smith is on the Dutch roster, and infielder Isa Garcia and pitcher Arquimedes Nieto are on the Venezuelan roster. Pitcher Adam Ottavino is on the Italian provisional roster.
