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St. Louis Cardinals Sign LHP Brett Cecil to Four-Year Contract

By Patrick Karraker

Oct 17, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Brett Cecil (27) delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians during the seventh inning in game three of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Brett Cecil (27) delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians during the seventh inning in game three of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cardinals made a major addition to their bullpen on Saturday with the signing of Brett Cecil.

As Yahoo Sports’s Jeff Passan first reported on Saturday afternoon, the St. Louis Cardinals have signed lefthanded relief pitcher Brett Cecil, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays, to a four-year contract. Ken Rosenthal later confirmed that Cecil’s deal is worth $30.5 million and that it will include a full no-trade clause.

Cecil has been one of the best lefty relievers in Major League Baseball since becoming a full-time reliever in 2013. In 243 games over that span, Cecil has thrown 205 innings, posting a 2.90 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 261 strikeouts. He was an AL All-Star in 2013.

Over a small sample size, Cecil has also been dominant in the postseason, allowing just one hit and four walks while striking out six in six postseason innings over eight games.

The Cardinals were desperately in need of a lefty bullpen arm after their lefthanded pitching corps had been purged in recent months. Zach Duke, who had performed solidly after being acquired at the trade deadline this past season, underwent Tommy John surgery in October; Tyler Lyons, who was shut down in August due to a degenerative knee injury, subsequently underwent a clean-up surgery this offseason and now is expected to miss the early part of the season.

Next: Cardinals Lose Tim Cooney on Waivers to Indians

The Cardinals also lost lefties Dean Kiekhefer and Tim Cooney on waivers to the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians, respectively, so the only remaining healthy lefties on the 40-man roster were Kevin Siegrist, Marco Gonzales, and Jaime Garcia. Gonzales is coming off Tommy John and Garcia is a career starter who may be a trade candidate this offseason, so the Cardinals really needed someone to complement Siegrist in the ‘pen.

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