McGwire Agrees to $30-Million Extension

Mark McGwire and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a two-year extension worth about $30 million, the Associated Press learned Wednesday.

The new deal runs through 2003, the season McGwire could be approaching Hank Aaron’s home run record of 755.

McGwire, 37, missed most of the second half of last season because of a knee injury and had surgery during the off-season, but has been healthy this spring.

St. Louis called a news conference for today at its training camp in Jupiter, Fla., to announce the deal.

McGwire and the Cardinals were talking about an extension that would pay him $14 million in 2002 and $16 million the following year, according to two baseball officials familiar with the negotiations who spoke on the condition they not be identified.

McGwire negotiated the extension himself with the Cardinals and did not go through his agent, Bob Cohen.

He is seventh on the career home run list with 554, 201 behind Aaron, and would have to average 67 homers in the next three seasons to tie the mark.

McGwire set the season record with 70 homers in 1998, then hit 65 the following year. He hit 32 last season in just 236 at-bats.

With an average salary of about $15 million, McGwire will rank about eighth in baseball.

Disgusted with baseball’s repeated work stoppages, McGwire repeatedly said last year that he would retire if there’s another one next winter after the expiration of the current labor contract. He has since softened that stance.

“I’d really have to weigh the situation,” McGwire said last month.

“If it does happen, I’d really have to see how long it lasted. If something happens and it lasts a couple of days or a week, it’s not going to damage the game.”