JUPITER, Fla. — The St. Louis Cardinals all-time save leader Jason Isringhausen finalized a minor-league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays this evening, the closer just confirmed. He met with the Rays team doctor this afternoon and had a complete checkup before being invited to camp to compete for a spot in the bullpen as Troy Percival’s setup man and possible understudy.

“I’m excited,” Isringhausen said. “I’ve still got to make the team. I didn’t get any guaranteed money. Didn’t need it. … I just need to pitch, to show I can pitch.”

Isringhausen and his agents spoke with the Cardinals within the past week, but with the Cardinals moving forward with younger arms in their bullpen there was hesistance to bring the righthander back into the mix. Percival encouraged Isringhausen to give Tampa a look and helped advocate for Isringhausen’s signing. His deal is laced with incentives that reward him for making the team, finishing games, appearances in relief and setup successes.

He’s the second Cardinal this week to sign with the Rays, joining second baseman Adam Kennedy. In recent years a parade of Cardinals have been traded to or signed by Tampa Bay — from Percival, who restarted his career with the Cardinals, to John Rodriguez, Al Reyes and Tino Martinez.

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