Former Tiger Johnny Peralta Signs $52M Contract With St. Louis Cardinals, Brad Ziegler Tweets Anger at Deal

June 20, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta (27) throws to first to complete a double play as St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal (15) slides into second base during the ninth inning at Comerica Park. St. Louis won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

We heard the other day that Jhonny Peralta had a four-year, $52 million deal “in hand”, today we learn that he has finalized a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals for a total of $53 million.

I’m sure Jhonny is ecstatic about the big payday, but MLB reliever Brad Ziegler wasn’t thrilled about the message the large dollar amount sends.

It’s hard to completely disagree with Ziegler’s sentiment, but at the same time both the Cardinals and Peralta are completely within the rules here. Ziegler throws the owners under the bus, but the players’ union shares as much of the blame (if you can call it that) for former PED users getting big dollar amounts in free agency. If current players are going to be outraged by this, they need to step up and push for stiffer penalties if the current deterrents aren’t enough.

I will say this though, Peralta got what all free agents hope for: top dollar on the open market and as good of a chance to win a World Series win as there is.