2012 MLB Free Agents: Cardinals Agree to Terms with Veteran OF Carlos Beltran

The St. Louis Cardinals have lost one big bat this winter, but the good news is that they are bringing at least one big bat in.

Via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, here's the latest news:

Carlos Beltran, a switch-hitting outfielder, is getting up there in years, but he can still hit. Between the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants in 2011, Beltran hit .300 with 22 home runs and 84 RBI. His .385 on-base percentage was the seventh-best mark in the National League.

Per a longer report from Goold, Beltran's deal is for $26 million, and it includes a no-trade clause.

The Beltran signing comes less than two weeks after the Cardinals lost slugging first baseman Albert Pujols to the Los Angeles Angels. Beltran will be expected to provide some power in the middle of St. Louis order and will presumably be used as a corner outfielder.

Goold notes that Beltran also received significant interest from the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays. The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox were also in the mix.

Beltran broke into the majors in 1998 with the Kansas City Royals, and went on to win the American League Rookie of the Year in 1999. He was traded to the Houston Astros in 2004 and then cashed in with the Mets during the ensuing offseason. The Mets traded him to the Giants at the trade deadline in 2011.

In his career, Beltran has made six All-Star teams and has won three Gold Gloves.