Cardinals sign Suppan, add players in draft

NEW ORLEANS -- Free agent Jeff Suppan and St. Louis agreed Monday to a two-year, $6 million contract, giving the Cardinals a much-needed pitcher for their depleted rotation.

Suppan, 28, went 13-11 with a 4.19 ERA for Pittsburgh and Boston. The right-hander has pitched at least 200 innings for five straight years. Suppan is 62-75 with a 4.90 ERA for the Red Sox, Arizona, Kansas City and Pittsburgh.

He was traded from the Pirates to Boston last July 31. At the time, Suppan had won five straight decisions for Pittsburgh, including a pair of shutouts.

With the Red Sox, he went 3-4 and made 10 starts. He was left off the roster for Boston's first-round AL playoff series against Oakland and then added for the AL championship series, but did not pitch in the seven-game loss to the Yankees.

The Cardinals also selected shortstop Hector Luna from the Cleveland Indians in the major-league portion of Monday's Rule 5 draft. Luna, 23, batted .297 in 127 games with Double-A Akron last season.

In Monday's Triple-A phase, the Cardinals selected 23-year-old shortstop Rayner Laya from Montreal's Harrisburg Double-A roster. In the draft's Double-A phase, the Cardinals chose left-handed pitcher Jackson Paz, 21.

-- AP