BUTLER TWP— The St. Louis Cardinals stepped up to the plate, so Matt Clement is taking the mound for them.

The Butler resident and 33-year-old right-hander returned to the National League's Central Division Thursday, signing a one-year contract followed by a club option with the Redbirds.

"I've always respected that organization,"Clement said. "They were high on my list when I was a free agent three years ago and they were high on my list this time.

"I told (agent Barry Axelrod) that if a team stepped up to the plate and offered me a major league contract, I might just jump on it."

Terms of the deal were not officially disclosed, but Axelrod said Clement's base contract "is for about $1.5 million, but can reach $6.5 million if he hits the performance clauses, which are basically number of appearances.

"The base pay in the option year would be significantly higher," he added.

Axelrod said eight or nine other teams were interested in Clement and some offered contracts.

"But they were basically incentive-laden minor league deals," he said. "The fact the Cardinals were willing to commit to him meant a lot to Matt.

"Their pitching coach is Dave Duncan and he's worked wonders with pitchers for years, dating back to his years in Oakland. He's one of the best in the business and Matt can't wait to work with him."

Clement has not pitched in a major league game since June 2006, when he posted a 6.61 earned run average in 65Z\c innings with Boston. He underwent shoulder surgery at the end of that season and missed all of 2007, though he pitched in a few instructional league games this past fall.

"I was hoping a team would step up, and the fact it's the Cardinals is just icing on the cake,"Clement said. "I've been so fortunate. If I had to list my five favorite baseball cities, Chicago, Boston and St. Louis might be the top three. ... They'd definitely be among the top five.

"Its nice being able to go to spring training, knowing I'm on the roster, and just worry about getting my work in. I'm ready to go."

Clement went to St. Louis Thursday to be examined by Dr. George Paletta, the Cardinals' head team physician, before signing the contract.

"He passed that examination with flying colors,"Axelrod said.

"There's obviously medical risk in any type of decision like this,"Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said on the team's Web-site. "We feel very confident he's in a good place and he should be ready to go in spring training."

Clement's last stint in the National League was with the Chicago Cubs from 2002-2004, when he compiled a 35-36 record with a 3.80 ERA, 576 strikeouts in 587X\c innings with Chicago.

Those credentials are good enough for Mozeliak.

"If his health is there, he'll be one of our starters," the GMstated on the web-site.

Clement joins Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper, Joel Pineiro and Anthony Reyes in the Cardinals' starting rotation. Former all-star Mark Mulder, rehabbing from injury, is expected to be available by May 1 and staff ace Chris Carpenter may be ready by midseason after undergoing Tommy John surgery last July.

"If Mulder and Carpenter come back strong, combined with how some of these other guys performed last year, this could become a formidable rotation,"Clement said.

The Cardinals finished 78-84 last season, seven games behind the division-winning Cubs. During this offseason, St. Louis has traded center fielder Jim Edmonds to San Diego and lost shortstop David Eckstein, pitcher Kip Wells and outfielder So Taguchi to free agency.

Clement sports a career record of 87-86 with a 4.57 ERAin 236 starts over nine seasons. He pitched more than 200 innings with San Diego in 2000 and with the Cubs in 2002 and 2003.

Had no team offered a major league contract, Clement said he was willing to play the waiting game to make sure he gave himself the best opportunity to make somebody's starting rotation.

"I would have waited until the rosters were set to see who was where. ... I'm just glad I don't have to worry about that now," he said.