Carlos Martinez agrees to five-year, $51 million deal

USA Today Photo

ST. LOUIS, MO – (Rick Hummel St. Louis Post Dispatch- Click to read the full article. Here is an excerpt.) The concern about whether there would be any bad feelings resultant from Carlos Martinez’s salary arbitration hearing will be a moot point. There won’t be any hearing next week. The Post-Dispatch learned Wednesday night from sources close to the situation that Martinez has agreed to a five-year contract worth some $51 million and that the deal, which has some options, will be announced Thursday morning at a press conference at Busch Stadium. & General manager John Mozeliak could not be reached for any confirmation nor was there any from Martinez’s representation but a source said that Martinez took his physical on Wednesday. & Martinez, the Cardinals’ top starter with a 16-9 record and 3.04 earned run average last season, had been seeking $4.25 million as a first-time arbitration-eligible player with the Cardinals offering $3.9 million, with a hearing having been slated for next week.