ST. LOUIS (AP) Adam Wainwright became a free agent Monday, then finalized a $2 million, one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals that allows him to earn $8 million in performance bonuses as a starting pitcher, $3 million for relief appearances and $4 million more for games finished.

St. Louis announced the agreement Oct. 11, but the deal was held up because it would have violated baseball's labor contract, which says guaranteed salaries cannot be reduced by more than 20 percent.

Wainwright was coming off a $97.5 million, five-year contract that paid $19.5 million this year. Because he became a free agent, the maximum-cut rule no longer applied.