Cardinals' Dexter Fowler: Inks five-year deal with Cardinals

Fowler signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Cardinals on Friday, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

Analysis:

He receives a full no-trade clause as part of the deal, representing the biggest free agent signing for the Cardinals in recent memory. Last season he was one of the lynchpins in one of the best offenses in baseball as the leadoff hitter for the Cubs, and the Cardinals will ask him to do the same thing heading forward. Fowler has hit 12-plus home runs and stolen 13 or more bases in three of the past four seasons, making him one of the better bets in baseball to tally double digits in both categories in 2017. He could also represent a good source of runs. Look for Fowler to play center field every day with Tommy Pham now serving as the Cardinals' fourth outfielder.