After the Harrison Bader signing, the Cardinals are close to extending another player’s contract
The St. Louis Cardinals are working quickly to complete extensions before the start of the season. It started with Harrison Bader. Giovanny Gallegos is up next.
St. Louis avoided arbitration by signing Harrison Bader to a two-year, $10.4 million contract. During arbitration, there was a big difference between Bader and the Cardinals. The Cardinals wanted to avoid all of the unpleasantness and controversy that comes with these kinds of contract talks.
Instead, they sat across a table and dialed a working number. Some could call it the old-fashioned manner.
St. Louis’s next man up is Giovanny Gallegos, despite manager Oliver Marmol’s declaration that the squad will open the season with a closer-by-committee style.
According to reports, Giovanny Gallegos could be extended by the Cardinals
The Cardinals’ approach is to avoid arbitration with their young talents at all costs. During the player’s arbitration years, St. Louis will offer multi-year contracts, extending long-term stability for a slightly lower compensation than they might receive in front of an arbitrator.
Bader took the bait, and Gallegos is likely to follow suit.
The Athletic’s Katie Woo writes: “And on the topic of extensions, the # STLCards are edging closer to a multi-year deal agreement with Giovanny Gallegos.” “Gallegos’ plan, like Bader’s, would see him through the rest of his arb-eligible years (2023, 2024).
Gallegos was absent the first few days of spring training in what was already a reduced camp, so the Cardinals will most likely start the year with a closer by committee style. Once their normal closer is up to speed, they might be able to reintroduce him to his regular job.
