The St. Louis Cardinals met their goal of retooling the rotation this winter and can now focus on other areas for development.
The Cardinals might add another bat or two after finishing with the 13th highest OPS in Major League Baseball last season.
A homegrown player who has recently been available on the market could be a viable choice to bolster St. Louis’ lineup.
According to the Major League Baseball transaction log, Matt Carpenter was formally released on Monday.
During his 11 seasons with the Cardinals, Carpenter batted.262 with 484 extra-base hits, including 155 home runs, 576 RBIs, and a.816 OPS.
After a disastrous season in St. Louis, the 38-year-old signed with the New York Yankees in 2022, where he had his last respectable season before plummeting again in 2023 with the San Diego Padres.
Carpenter was acquired by the Atlanta Braves in a deal with the San Diego Padres in order to obtain left-handed reliever Ray Kerr; the Braves were required to take on $4 million of Carpenter’s $5.5 million contract in order to obtain Kerr. The Braves released the designated hitter after failing to find a trade partner.
This could be an excellent opportunity for St. Louis to re-sign a familiar face while also acquiring a bench bat. Carpenter may be signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training to see if he still has some juice left in the tank.
If not, they may part ways knowing they gave Carpenter another chance to show himself as a Cardinal.
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