Upon arriving to the stage as fans cheered, the 39-year-old Edmonds took the microphone from La Russa and told him he would play for free in 2010 if the Cardinals would have him.Edmonds later recanted and said he would play for the minimum salary of $400,000. But he did seem sincere about his desire to return to baseball after not playing since the 2008 season, and the Cardinals would seem to be a fit for him given their inexperience and youth on the bench.
Edmonds said he was “challenging” La Russa to give him a shot. Kiddingly, La Russa told fans he wished he would have skipped Edmonds’ appearance on stage.