Cardinals renew Flaherty's contract, reportedly penalize ace $10K

The St. Louis Cardinals announced Sunday that they've renewed the contract of ace Jack Flaherty, but the renewal comes with some quirky details.

Flaherty and the Cardinals were unable to reach an agreement on his 2020 earnings, so the team imposed a salary on the right-hander for the upcoming season, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Per team policy, Flaherty will be penalized $10,000 in salary for failing to agree on contract terms, Goold adds.

The pitcher did receive a $10,000 bonus for his fourth-place finish in National League Cy Young voting last season. With the two figures offsetting, he'll earn $604,500 in 2020, a source told Goold.

Players with less than three years of service time, like Flaherty, have no say when it comes to their final salaries. The Cardinals determined how much the 24-year-old will earn this upcoming season using a stats-based formula.

This is the last season the Cardinals can impose salary on Flaherty, who will be eligible for arbitration for the first time in 2021.

The 6-foot-3 hurler, who also declined an offer from the Cardinals a year ago, can use the two disagreements to his benefit in arguing for a higher salary during the arbitration process next year.

Flaherty said his decision to stand his ground again this year was a matter of principle.

"The system is what it is, and it's not the best," Flaherty said, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers.

Along with renewing Flaherty's contract, the Cardinals agreed to terms and signed one-year deals with 24 other players for the 2020 season.