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The St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract extension with Lance Berkman this morning as they continue to prepare for what could be a franchise-altering offseason. The deal, first announced by the club on their Twitter feed, includes no options or deferred money, as reported by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Berkman, 35, is having a resurgent season with the Cards this year, posting a .300/.412/.555 line with 31 homers over 138 games split between first base and the outfield. He's been the third-best hitter in the National League according to wRC+, and likely has another solid year of offense in his powerful bat.
It's been a busy month for the Cardinals, who are making a big-time run for the NL Wild Card and recently extended star pitcher Chris Carpenter, although they still have some key players hitting free agency this winter, including Albert Pujols, Edwin Jackson and Rafael Furcal.