Starting pitcher Joel Pineiro, a free agent after the season, would like to remain with the Cardinals according to MLB.com's B.J. Rains. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak prefers to wait until after the season to discuss an extension. The righty, 31 this month, thrived this year after following pitching coach Dave Duncan's suggestion to throw a sinker. Among those with 150 innings, Pineiro ranks first with 1.04 walks per nine innings, 0.33 home runs per nine, and a 61.3% groundball rate. The result: a 3.21 ERA in 190.6 innings.
Pineiro's two-year, $13MM extension seemed reasonable when signed in October of '07. He struggled last year, battling a groin injury and getting bumped from the rotation in August.
Eddie Bajek's latest Elias ranking projections placed Pineiro as a Type B free agent with 69.071 points. At the time, the lowest Type A among NL starters had 74.840 points.
