"The Cardinals reached agreement Tuesday with right fielder Ryan Ludwick on a one-year, $5.45 million contract that will allow the parties to avoid a potential salary arbitration hearing next month.

Resolving Ludwick's contract leaves second baseman Skip Schumaker as the only Cardinal to seek arbitration. The parties exchanged figures Tuesday, with the club offering $1.45 million and Schumaker seeking $2.75 million. Schumaker made $430,000 last year.

"There are still some question marks" on how close a deal with Schumaker is, general manager John Mozeliak said. "It is nice to have Luddy done."

Though the difference in the bids presented by the club and Schumaker appears daunting, both sides are optimistic about reaching a compromise long before reaching a hearing date. An arbitrator can only choose between the two bids; however, it is more likely the sides will settle somewhere around the $2.1 million midpoint.

Second-time arbitration-eligible, Ludwick realized a 47 percent raise over last season's $3.7 million base salary. Ludwick, 31, almost reached a hearing in Phoenix last spring training before the Cardinals agreed to settle above the salary midpoint. An All-Star and a Silver Slugger recipient in 2008, Ludwick struggled with an early hamstring injury and inconsistency before finishing last season with a .265 average, 22 home runs and 97 RBIs. Ludwick reached those numbers in 52 fewer at-bats than the previous year while his

on-base-plus-slugging percentage fell from .966 to .776.

Schumaker turns 30 two weeks before camp opens. He would represent a novel case since he moved from the outfield to the infield last spring training. His offensive numbers compare more favorably against middle infielders than outfielders, but the club may argue for a hybrid comparison.

Schumaker hit .300 (.303) for a third consecutive season while scoring 85 runs as the team's regular leadoff hitter. Within the National League he ranked second in average and tied for fourth in runs scored as a second baseman."