By Rob Rains
After signing three veteran pitchers early in the off-season that they believe will provide leadership to their younger pitchers, the Cardinals made a surprise move on Friday to do the same thing for their position players.
Former Cardinal Matt Carpenter is coming back to the team, signing a one-year contract as a free agent.
The 38-year-old Carpenter, who left the Cardinals after the 2021 season, is expected to fill a bench role while also adding his voice to those of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in a clubhouse filled with young players on a team that finished last in the NL Central in 2023.
It was a move John Mozeliak, the team’s president of baseball operations, thought made sense despite Carpenter struggling offensively the last few seaons.
“Expectations are definitely higher than how he performed in 2023,” Mozeliak said. “We’re encouraged. I think both parties understand he’s not where he was five-six years ago when he was looking for an everyday role.”
The Cardinals are counting on Carpenter hitting better than he did in 2023, when he was on the Padres and hit just .176 in 76 games. He was traded to the Braves in December, then released by Atlanta, which will be responsible for all but the minimum portion of his $5.5 million contract for this season.
“I had been in discussion with Carp since the day he got released,” Mozeliak said. “This has been ongoing. I feel this is more of having a veteran voice on our club.”
Mozeliak said Carpenter understands the role he will be filling on the team – and Carpenter said it is a role he is excited about.
“I think the thing I am most excited about is the opportunity to be a veteran on a team who has had the privilege to wear that uniform for as long as I did,” Carpenter said in a zoom call with local reporters. “Now to be able to speak to some of the young guys who are doing it for the first time; playing in St. Louis is such a privilege but there certainly is an expectation and some pressures that go with it. I remember as a young player that can be overwhelming. I was lucky to have such a great veteran group of guys who kind of took me under their wings. What I am most looking forward to is having the opportunity to be that guy and do it for some of these young guys, kind of being that shoulder that they can lean on and talk to and work through stuff.”
Carpenter said he is realistic about what he will be asked to do coming off of the bench.
“From a baseball standpoint, my mentality is I’m entitled to nothing and grateful for everything that I get as far as an opportunity to play,” he said. “I’ll be prepared when my name is called and try to have the most competitive at-bats that I can have.
“At this point in my career I really know who I am. I know what I am as a player, what I bring to a team, what I can bring to a clubhouse and I don’t shy away from that. If there is something that looks like it’s out of whack and needs to be addressed I’m not afraid to have those conversations.”
Mozeliak said he is optimistic that Carpenter will be able to help the team on and off the field.
“When you think back to his last year here (2021) he was still hoping to play every day,” Mozeliak said. “He also would tell you that ‘if I am performing well I hope I get opportunities’ and I think that’s a fair ask. We will see how things play out over the course of this season.”
Carpenter has worked out this winter with former Cardinal teammate Matt Holliday.
“I’m heading back to his house next week to kind of ramp up again,” Carpenter said. “I think his track record as a player and what he’s done with his two sons, the kind of hitters they are, kind of speaks for itself. The guy knows how to teach hitting. I’ve spent a lot of time with him the last couple of years. When my swing really got sideways towards the end of my time in St. Louis I give Matt all the credit for getting me back on track and the run I had in New York.
“Just putting in the work with him, trying to get my swing where I feel like it’s efficient and capable of handling good big league pitching. I feel like we are headed down the right track. I feel as good as I’ve ever felt heading into a season from a swing standpoint with the work that we are doing.”
Signing Carpenter is similar to the moves of adding pitchers Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, even though his role will be different, Mozeliak told the media in a zoom call after the signing was announced.
As especially was the case with Lynn and Gibson, Carpenter also was a player who wanted to be in St. Louis.
“Part of it is leadership by example but I also think part of it is the ability to speak up when you see something,” Mozeliak said. “Last year I think a lot of that was falling on Goldy. I think that’s pretty demanding. I feel like from a clubhouse standpoint it’s just nice to have someone who understands expectations and isn’t afraid to share their opinion on it.
“I’m hoping it works and I’m hoping he can be successful in the clubhouse and on the field.”
The Cardinals had an open spot on their 40-man roster after releasing reliever James Naile on Thursday night so he could sign a contract to play in South Korea.
Mozeliak said the team still remains open to the possibility of adding another relief pitcher before the start of spring training.
“There are still some things we are looking at and trying to pursue so we will see where that goes,” he said.
Carpenter was drafted by the Cardinals in 2009 and played for the team from 2011 through 2021. He spent the 2022 season with the Yankees.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
Photo by AP courtesy of KSDK Sports
