Cardinals Reportedly Sign Star Player To Two-Year Extension, Avoiding Arbitration

The St. Louis Cardinals have been relatively silent since their addition of three starting pitchers to kick off the offseason.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak reportedly still is in the hunt for one more high-leverage reliever following the trade for right-hander Andrew Kittredge but nothing has come together so far.

While taking a break from external hires, Mozeliak was able to lock in a contract with one of his higher-performing position players for a couple of seasons.

"The Cardinals announced that they have signed Tommy Edman to a two-year contract to avoid an arbitration hearing," MLB.com's John Denton reported Monday. "The two sides were $450,000 apart when the arbitration deadline hit earlier in January. Edman is projected to be the team’s starting center fielder on Opening Day."

Not much changes for the outlook of either the team or player, as Edman already was under team control for the next two seasons. However, it's a step in the right direction regarding a possible longer-term extension down the road.

Edman is a league-average offensive player -- entering 2024 with a career 100 OPS+ -- and a suburb and versatile defender. St. Louis would be wise to keep him in-house for the long haul as the young core continues to develop around him.

For now, the two sides coming together on a price point for arbitration-eligible years is encouraging.

More MLB: Cardinals Superstar Reportedly 'Good Bet' To Land Extension Next Season