Ranking the 10 best contracts in recent St. Louis Cardinals history

Adam Wainwright # 50 and Yadier Molina #4 of the St. Louis Cardinals bump gloves prior to the start of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 10, 2019 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by St. Louis Cardinals, LLC/Getty Images)
Adam Wainwright # 50 and Yadier Molina #4 of the St. Louis Cardinals bump gloves prior to the start of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 10, 2019 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by St. Louis Cardinals, LLC/Getty Images) /
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St. Louis Cardinals
ST. LOUIS, MO – SEPTEMBER 24: Kwang Hyun Kim #33 of the St. Louis Cardinals makes a pitch during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on September 24, 2020 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by St. Louis Cardinals, LLC/Getty Images) /

#8 Kwang Hyun Kim (2020-2021)

Value: +$14 million

Coming over from South Korea on a two-year, $8 million deal prior to the 2021 season, Kim was an instant success for the club in 2020. During the shortened season, he put up an ERA of 1.62 in 39 innings, seeing him bounce between starter and high leverage reliever.

Kim continued his success across 106 innings during 2021, sporting an ERA of 3.46 while once again bouncing between the rotation and bullpen due to injuries. Based on how Kim would pitch when he was completely healthy, there is a chance he could have far surpassed his contract value had he not been bitten by the injury bug, but he still managed to be a very successful international signing.