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Former St. Louis Cardinals RHP Jordan Walden Signs with Atlanta Braves

By Patrick Karraker

Apr 19, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jordan Walden (53) throws to a Cincinnati Reds batter during a game at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Reds 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 19, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jordan Walden (53) throws to a Cincinnati Reds batter during a game at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Reds 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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In the least surprising development of the Cardinals’ offseason, Jordan Walden won’t return to St. Louis in 2017.

As SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo first reported on Saturday, righthanded reliever Jordan Walden has signed a minor-league contract with the Atlanta Braves. Walden will receive a $1 million-dollar base salary if he makes the Braves’ big-league roster, and he could make up to $2 million in incentives.

Walden, who was on the St. Louis Cardinals’ roster for the past two seasons, returns to the club the Cardinals acquired him from in November of 2014, when he came over along with Jason Heyward in the deal that sent Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins to Atlanta.

The Cardinals sure didn’t get much use out of Walden, whose Cardinals career was limited to 10 1/3 innings spanning 12 appearances in April of 2015. While he posted dominant numbers over that short stretch–a 0.87 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 12 strikeouts, and four walks–Walden struggled with injuries for the remainder of his Cardinals tenure.

The Cardinals placed him on the DL with right bicep inflammation on May 3, 2015, and he never pitched for the team in a regular season game again. He made four rehab appearances in July of that year and pitched in eight spring training games in March of this year, but that bicep soreness and an accompanying shoulder strain have ultimately prevented him from pitching in the big leagues ever since.

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The Cardinals harbored a bit of hope that Walden might be able to contribute down the stretch in 2016, but their frustrations boiled over when Walden failed to report for a rehab assignment in early September. He had a $5.25 million-dollar option for 2017, but the Cardinals chose to accept the $250,000 buyout instead last week.

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