Adam Wainwright still has another year and $12 million on his contract after this season, but he’s pitched so well returning from Tommy John surgery that the Cardinals are interested in signing him beyond 2013.
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that the front office approached Wainwright about a possible contract extension and the right-hander told them he wants to wait until the season is over for fear of becoming a distraction for the team.
Wainwright initially struggled to regain his form after missing all of last season, taking a 5.77 ERA into mid-May, but since then he’s started 18 games with a 2.87 ERA and 116/22 K/BB ratio in 122 innings. Obviously he needs to stay healthy, but at age 31 he could be one season away from $100 million offers on the open market.
