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The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with reliever David Aardsma, according to an industry source. The move was first reported by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Aardsma, 32, was released by the Indians over the weekend and has spent the last few days searching for opportunities on the free agent market. By receiving a minor league deal from the Cardinals, he will try to earn a spot on the team's roster before Opening Day, or could head to Triple-A Memphis to start the season. St. Louis has shown a willingness to add non-roster relievers to the active roster, and has already assured Pat Neshek that he will be on the team' roster after signing a minor league deal this offseason.
In six innings for the Indians this spring, Aardsma surrendered three earned runs on five hits while striking out five. He spent a good portion of last season in the majors with the Mets, posting a 2-2 record and 4.31 ERA in 43 appearances.
For his eight-year major league career with the Giants (2004), Cubs (2006), White Sox (2007), Red Sox (2008), Mariners (2009-2010), Yankees (2012) and Mets (2013), Aardsma is the owner of a 15-17 lifetime record and 4.23 ERA in 298 career relief appearances.