ST. LOUIS -- Free-agent infielder Cesar Izturis agreed Friday to a $2.85 million, one-year contract with the Cardinals, a sign St. Louis may have decided to abandon trying to re-sign shortstop David Eckstein.
| GM | HR | RBI | R | OBP | AVG |
| 110 | 0 | 16 | 31 | .302 | .258 |
The 27-year-old Izturis won a Gold Glove in 2004 and was an NL All-Star in 2005. Eckstein combined with Brendan Ryan to play the majority of the games last year at shortstop, a position that accounted for 32 of the team's 76 infield errors.
Izturis is primarily a shortstop but has also played at second base and third base.
"We have always prided ourselves on being a sound defensive team," general manager John Mozeliak said. "Hopefully, Cesar can help us restore that. We've seen firsthand how important solid defensive play can be to a team's overall performance."
Eckstein, the World Series MVP in 2006, became a free agent after an injury-plagued season.
The switch-hitting Izturis batted .258 in 110 games last season with the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit .276 with the Pirates after being acquired on July 19.
Izturis has a career batting average of .259. His best offensive season was 2004, when he batted .288 with a career-high 32 doubles, four home runs, 25 steals and 62 RBIs.
In addition to his base salary, Izturis can earn $650,000 in performance bonuses: $100,000 each for 400 and 450 plate appearances and $150,000 each for 500, 550 and 600 plate appearances.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Source: ESPN.com
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