Sep 29, 2008 - 6:57 PM
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Set to become a free agent at the conclusion of the season, Lohse signed a four-year extension with the Cardinals on Monday, keeping him under contract in St. Louis through 2012.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that it is similar to the four-year, $48 million contract that Carlos Silva inked with Seattle last winter.
In March, Lohse, 29, signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract with the Cardinals and posted the best season of his career, going 15-6 with a career-best 3.78 ERA in his first year in St. Louis. He was the Cardinals' leader in wins and innings pitched with 200.
"We knew Kyle Lohse was a winning player before this year, and this season we were fortunate enough to see his talent and competitiveness first hand," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. "Knowing that we have Kyle as a part of our team as we move forward is a major step as we set our sights on not only next season, but the years to follow."
Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Joel Pineiro and Ryan Franklin also have all signed multi-year extensions within the past two years.
"I think that it is a message to everybody that cares about the Cardinals, whether it's our fans or the guys in the organization," manager Tony La Russa said. "We're going to try to play in October."
The Cardinals finished fourth in the National League Central Division with an 86-76 record, 11 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs.
Lohse has a career mark of 78-80 with a 4.67 ERA in eight seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2001-06), Cincinnati Reds (2006-07), Philadelphia Phillies (2007) and Cardinals.
