Is Comeback Carlos Quentin a Fit for the St. Louis Cardinals?

File this report from earlier this morning under, “Things That Make You Go, ‘Hmmmm'” for the St. Louis Cardinals.

"Longtime White Sox/Padres outfielder will not retire, as he previously expected to, and will instead try for a 2016 comeback. Details at MLBTR."

Source: Carlos Quentin To Attempt Comeback

I remember covering Carlos Quentin years ago, when he and first baseman Conor Jackson were supposed to be the future nucleus of the team. Jackson had three decent years with the Snakes before the team unloaded him to Oakland in 2010. It was a pretty steep decline after that.

Quentin’s career has been similar, alhough his peaks were higher. He was a two-time All-Star with the Chicago

Bad knees have plagued Carlos Quentin throughout his career. Does he have anything left? Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

White Sox. One of those seasons, 2008, was by far his best. He hit 36 homers, drove in 100 runs and finished 5th in American League MVP voting.

According to a report from CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman this morning, Quentin’s agent says the former Stanford standout has been working out at first base to give himself added versatility. More from Heyman’s report:

"Quentin, who never filed retirement papers, has been doing baseball activity for six weeks and is plotting a comeback as a first baseman/DH/outfielder. His knees, which have been operated on multiple times, are said to be feeling better. He probably fits an AL team better due to the injury history and DH possibility."

I know this is me just being jittery as the free agency period and General Manager meetings get underway. But with every report about Jason Heyward‘s value on the free agency market the more of a pessimist I become. To soothe my anxiety, I’m looking at how the Cardinals can move on with out their rightfielder.

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I’m not suggesting Quentin is an answer by any means, but signing him would be the kind of sneaky move that could pay off. Minimal risk, high reward. That said, I agree with Heyman. Quentin is better off with an American League team given the designated hitter. My guess is he ends up with a team like the New York Yankees, which have a history of stashing veterans at their triple-A club.