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He signed early this month.

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Friday, June 08, 2007

Cardinals, Percival agree to minor league deal

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - The St. Louis Cardinals announced Friday they have agreed to terms with right-handed reliever Troy Percival on a minor league contract.

Percival spent the majority of his career with the Angels before signing with Detroit in 2005. He suffered an injury to his right forearm with the Tigers in July of 2005 and then retired after an aborted comeback with the squad at the start of the 2006 season. He has been out of the game ever since.

The 37-year-old was working as a special pitching instructor for the Angels until asking for a release from his coaching contract on May 23.

Percival, who will report to Triple-A Memphis, will join a Cardinals' bullpen that currently touts a 10-2 record and 3.41 ERA. He also joins former Angels teammates Adam Kennedy, Jim Edmonds, David Eckstein, Scott Spiezio and Russ Springer in St. Louis.

With 324 saves, Percival is 12th on the all-time Major League saves list and ranks fifth among active major leaguers. He holds a 30-41 record with a 3.10 earned run average in 586.2 career innings. He enjoyed his best season in 2002 with a 4-1 mark, 40 saves, 68 strikeouts and a 1.92 ERA.

A four-time All-Star, Percival went nine straight seasons with 20 or more saves from 1996-2004. He was also a member of the Angels' World Championship team in 2002, when he collected seven saves and held a 2.79 ERA in the postseason.