Cardinals, David Freese avoid arbitration

The hometown kid will not be going to arbitration this year. In his first year of arbitration eligibility, David Freese has agreed to a one-year deal that will allow him to avoid arbitration with the St. Louis Cardinals altogether this season. The deal is said to be worth $3.15 million which is a significant raise for the Cardinals' third baseman.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports had the news:

#Cardinals and 3B David Freese have agreed to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration. News posted shortly at StlToday.com. #stlcards

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) February 8, 2013

David Freese sign for $3.15M for 2013, avoiding arbitration. #STLCards

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) February 8, 2013

Related: David Freese Twitter Feuds

Freese has become a fan favorite in St. Louis. His hustle and his production have endeared him to the Cardinals faithful, but St. Louis was not quite ready to give him a long-term deal. They may explore the option during the season, but for now both sides were content with a one-year contract.

The Cardinals won the 2011 World Series with the help of Freese. During that series, he hit .348/.464/.696. That performance earned him the World Series MVP. Freese has had some defensive miscues at third base, but he generally makes up for those with his bat. This is why the fans love him. He atones for his mistakes.

Last season, Freese hit .293/.372/.467 with 20 home runs. He made his first All-Star Game last year as well. Freese has now played in parts of four Major League seasons. In that time, he has a .296/.363/.446 line. Those are the types of numbers that generally earn a player big extensions. For now, though, Freese will settle for his $2.6 million raise.