Four ex-Cardinals find it pays to have worn the Birds on the Bat

ST. LOUIS -- It sure pays to play for the Cardinals. You get the big home crowds, your travel is reasonable without any coast-to-coast trips and those annual playoff-share checks make a nice bonus at the end of the year.

And then, when it's time to become an ex-Cardinal, you reap more dividends just for being part of such a winning club.

At least that's how it's worked out for four of the Cardinals' six free agents this offseason, a foursome that has moved on at a combined cost of more than $30 million. If that sounds like a lot to you, you're not alone. Check them out:

-- Daniel Descalso was non-tendered after five seasons in St. Louis because the Cardinals didn't want to pay upward of $1.5 million for someone who would have been stuck on their bench again. No problem. Descalso landed a two-year, $3.6 million deal with the Rockies that includes a $210,000 raise over 2014. This comes after he hit .243 with zero homers, 10 RBIs and 20 runs in 104 games last season.

While Descalso's playing time diminished in 2014, he did not put up big numbers in any season with the Cardinals. He hit .243 with 10 homers in his five seasons in St. Louis. But he was a part of two teams that went to the World Series and two others that reached the National League Championship Series. The Rockies valued that kind of experience as much as his ability to play all over the infield because Descalso is not penciled in to start in Colorado.

"We're trying to get the right type of guys involved here, and that's a big reason why we're bringing Daniel in. He's played a prominent role on a big stage," Rockies manager Walt Weiss told reporters in Denver earlier this week. "He's built a reputation in the game as a tough, smart player. We're striving to get better in those areas, and he's going to add to that."

-- After Jason Motte put up a 4.68 ERA and was limited to 25 innings in his return from Tommy John surgery, I thought he might have to follow the route of Pat Neshek in 2014 and take a minor-league deal in 2015 to reestablish his worth. Hardly. He took a one-year deal from the Cubs, but it's guaranteed for $4.5 million and could climb all the way to $7 million, his salary in 2014. The Cubs said they wanted Motte because of his experience, which includes being on the mound for the final out of the 2011 World Series.

The Cubs were seeking an experienced hand for their young bullpen as well as insurance for closer Bruce Rondon. That will be no problem for the 32-year-old Motte, as long as he regains the lost velocity on his fastball. He was not nearly as effective with a fastball that averaged 93.9 mph in 2014, compared with 96.8 mph in his season before surgery.

-- Right-hander Justin Masterson didn't want to make excuses for his poor showing after he was traded to St. Louis last July, but after signing with the Red Sox he told reporters, "Last year was purely health."

The Red Sox must believe so, too, because they gave Masterson a one-year contract worth $9.5 million and have said he will be one of their starters. That's a nice way to land after putting up a 5.88 ERA and failing to make the Cardinals' postseason roster while making $9.625 million.

Masterson can make as much as $12 million in 2015 if he pitches enough innings. His deal includes innings-pitched incentives, starting at $500,000 for 185 innings and capping at $2.5 million for 205 innings.

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-- Right-hander Pat Neshek was the only Cardinals free agent expected to cash in after a season when he was one of the National League's top relievers. He did, too, signing a two-year, $12.5 million deal that includes a club option for a third year for as much as $9 million. Neshek, 34, was paid $1 million in 2014 after accepting a minor-league deal with the Cardinals.

The Cardinals' free agents still looking for work are catcher A.J. Pierzynski and infielder Mark Ellis. That they remain team-less isn't surprising, though, considering they are 37 and coming off career-lousy seasons.

Perhaps, after all, there is a limit on what playing for the Cardinals can do for a free agent's job prospects.

You can follow Stan McNeal on Twitter at @StanMcNeal or email him at stanmcneal@gmail.com.