ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals said Monday they have agreed to one-year contracts with right-handed pitcher Garrett Stephenson and infielder Miguel Cairo, avoiding salary arbitration for both.
Terms were not disclosed.
Stephenson, 29, won a career-best 16 games with the Cardinals in 2000 but missed all of last season after undergoing "Tommy John" surgery on an elbow in April.
Stephenson, who went 16-9 with a 4.49 ERA over 200 innings in 2000, is 30-21 with a 4.44 ERA in 79 games during a career that included time with Baltimore (1996) and Philadelphia (1997-98) before arriving in St. Louis in 1999.
Encouraged by Stephenson's rehabilitation, the Cardinals said they hope he will take part in spring training drills when camp opens in February.
Cairo, 27, batted .333 with one home run and seven RBI in 27 games with the Cardinals last season after being acquired by waivers in August. In 66 games with the Chicago Cubs earlier last season, Cairo batted .285 with two home runs and nine RBI.
Over his career, which also included seasons with Tampa Bay and Toronto, Cairo has batted .276 with 12 home runs and 134 RBI.
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