MLB News: Southpaw Pitcher Sheds Light On Choosing Cardinals Over Mets

The New York Mets were open to a possible reunion with Steven Matz, but all hopes of that were officially doused when the 30-year-old chose to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals.

According to a report from the Sacramento Bee, the southpaw pitcher opted to join the Cardinals after finalizing a four-year deal worth $44 million.

Further details tied to the Matz-Cardinals deal include a $2 million signing bonus that would be payable within 30 days once the deal is approved by the MLB commissioner’s office.

Also, salaries of $8 million next season, $10 million in the following year, and $12 million each in both 2023 and 2024 are included.

Additionally, Matz could also earn more depending on his performance per season. That includes potentially earning $1 million annually in performance bonuses for innings pitched: $200,000 each for 130, 140, 150, 160 and 170.

Matz never gave the Mets a chance to match the final offer of the Cardinals. This made team owner Steven Cohen pretty unhappy and blasting the 30-year-old’s agent.

"Not happy with the agent's interaction with us," Cohen said to SNY. "I wish Matz well."

Matz was officially introduced on Monday, November 29 via a Zoom call with the media by the Cardinals.

He shed light on why he chose to join the Cardinals over the Mets although it was not directly asked from him.

"I felt the same way--the free-agency process was a lot of fun for me, learning about different teams and taking different Zoom calls and kind of dreaming (about) where you're going to spend the next few years. And the Cardinals just felt like a great fit, ultimately, and an extremely exciting team with incredible defense. The thought of throwing to (catcher) Yadier Molina is extremely exciting,” Matz stated.

Matz spent last MLB season with the Toronto Blue Jays and had a personal best of 14-7.

However, he also pitched a career-low 3.82 ERA. Overall, he recorded 144 strikeouts to 43 walks in 150.2 innings over 29 starts.

The pitcher looked back and shared how the last three years helped mold him into who he is right now.

But of those years, he made special mention of the Blue Jays and Pete Walker who helped him establish his identity as a pitcher.

“I do give a lot of credit to the Blue Jays and Pete Walker over there. To give me that opportunity to bring me to this point, I am extremely grateful and he did help me a lot over there, really find that identity,” Matz shared.