On the heels of the announcement that Chris Carpenter would be a Cardinal for two more years, St Louis announced today that Lance Berkman will be back for 2012, agreeing to a one year, $12 million deal. The 35 year old Berkman has had a fantastic bounceback year this season, hitting .300/.412/.555 for a .404 wOBA, his highest since 2008. Berkman has turned up the heat in September as the Cardinals have made a frantic run, with a line of .394/.474/.515.
A decent bit of Berkman’s value this season has been killed by his awful defense in right field. DRS (-8) and UZR (-9.5) both hate him, and he’s generally thought of as a win below average. Put that win back into his value, and he’s been close to a 6 fWAR player this season for St Louis, for the low cost of just $8 million. The investment paid off, and he’ll still be a bargain next year with a 50% raise.
The Berkman signing says one thing to me that seems to be flying a little under the radar: the Cardinals are looking for Pujols insurance. If Pujols leaves St Louis this offseason, they’ve got a backup ready to go in Berkman. The team can then plug in career minor leaguer Allen Craig into right field, who has an .861 OPS in limited time this season. And hey, if Pujols comes back, the Cardinals have a right fielder, albeit one with awful defense.
I like the deal for the Cardinals. The struggles from last season appear to have faded, and Berkman looks like the Lance Berkman of old. One caveat to the deal: he’ll be 36 during the 2012 season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a little bit of a falloff, but not much.
