It's time for the Cardinals to move on from franchise veterans this offseason

When the St. Louis Cardinals signed veterans and former players Matt Carpenter and Lance Lynn this past offseason, it was for two reasons. First, the organization believes they could squeeze some strong outings from the two long-time players. Second, following a collapse in 2023 that affected the clubhouse culture, the hope was that Lynn and Carpenter would bring a veteran presence to the clubhouse that would positively alter it.

In a sense, both of those desires came to fruition. Lance Lynn finished the year with a 3.84 ERA in 117.1 innings. The innings total is a bit less than what was anticipated out of him to start the year, but that's a fine ERA for a back-end starting pitcher. Carpenter, on the other hand, has been 7% worse than the average player according to OPS+ offensively. He holds a .236/.317/.378 slash line with just four home runs and 15 runs batted in.

While their on-field performances have been a mixed bag, the off-field contributions of both Lance Lynn and Matt Carpenter have been noteworthy. Carpenter has helped young players like Alec Burleson find their hitting stroke. Lance Lynn has provided a fire to the clubhouse that was absent last year. The efforts of these veterans shouldn't go unnoticed and unmentioned this year.

That doesn't mean we should bring them back next year as players.

Lance Lynn has a team option for 2025, and even though Carpenter's contract expires after this year, there have been reports that he still has an interest in playing as a 39-year-old.

Lance Lynn's club option for 2025 is valued at $13 million. Given the way the starting pitching market has panned out these last few years, that's a reasonable salary for a guy who will give you a strong effort most nights he's on the mound. However, the Cardinals have young pitchers like Michael McGreevy, Gordon Graceffo, Quinn Mathews, and Cooper Hjerpe who could give performances comparable to Lynn's next year for a fraction of the price. If the organization wants to save money, cutting expensive contracts would be one way to do that.

In the case of Matt Carpenter, he could be replaced quite easily. Thomas Saggese has shown he can handle the majors at least defensively if not offensively as well. Nolan Gorman is currently in Triple-A, and he was the team's starting second baseman these past two seasons. Brendan Donovan, Cesar Prieto, and Jose Fermin all provide far more defensive flexibility while having projectable offensive seasons that would at least mirror if not surpass Carpenter's.

If the Cardinals want to keep these veterans around due to their effects on the clubhouse, there's a way to keep them around: hire both as coaches.

Ever since the Cardinals cut back their coaching staff a few years ago, the consequences have been stark. No longer are the Cardinals a model franchise when it comes to coaching. Instead, they've fallen behind in game preparation and planning. Adding veterans of the game who are familiar with the organization to the coaching staff would bode well.

Annexing Matt Carpenter and Lance Lynn -- in addition to guys like Chris Carpenter, Jim Edmonds, and others -- to the coaching staff will allow their presences to remain without taking away a roster spot from a cheaper, younger, and potentially more talented player.

Both Lance Lynn and Matt Carpenter will have chances to become members of the St. Louis Cardinals' Hall of Fame down the road; they're deserving of that. However, their time on the field may be coming to a close. The veteran approach to roster construction hasn't worked as well as anticipated this year. If the team intends on competing next year, things need to change on the field as well as off of it. Not re-signing these veterans and instead adding them to the coaching staff will accomplish multiple goals.