St. Louis Cardinals agree to terms with Mike Leake

The Cardinals have reached a deal with pitcher Mike Leake.

The St. Louis Cardinals and free agent Mike Leake have reportedly agreed to terms on a deal to bring the pitcher back to the National League Central.

The deal is said to be for $75 million over five years and is pending a physical. While a possible liaison between the two parties had been widely discussed over the past few weeks, talks were said to pick up traction on Monday evening.

Leake, who spent the first six years of his career with the Cincinnati Reds before being dealt to the San Francisco Giants last August, had been one of the most roundly courted free agents thus far this winter. In addition to the Cardinals, the Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals were all connected to have varying levels interest in the 28-year-old hurler.

The Cardinals entered the offseason knowing they had to replace a substantial amount of innings from their starting pitching staff, when it was announced that Lance Lynn would miss the 2016 season due to Tommy John surgery. The issue was further driven home when free agent John Lackey signed with the Chicago Cubs. The duo accounted for 393 innings for the Cardinals in 2015, who sported a MLB-best 2.99 starting rotation ERA.

Leake’s age and reliability have been two of the strongest draws in his favor thus far. He is the youngest of all of the marquee free agent pitchers on the market, and has a strong track record of durability as well. He has made at least 29 starts during five of his six career seasons.

Leake is final piece in the anticipated Cardinal starting staff,  which features a pair of 2015 All-Stars in Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez, as well as left-hander Jaime Garcia. Staff ace Adam Wainwright will also return to the head of the rotation after successfully returning from a torn Achilles suffered last April.