Matt Adams signs one-day contract to retire a Cardinal

Former St. Louis Cardinal Matt Adams has made the decision to retire from baseball. Adams made the announcement via social media with a post on Sunday.

"After 15 incredible years of playing professional baseball, it is with tremendous gratitude and emotion that I share my decision to transition to the next chapter of my career," said Adams in his post. "I'm not leaving baseball -- I'm excited to seek out opportunities in coaching, where I can continue to contribute to the sport I love. Over the past few years, I've had the privilege of taking on a mentoring role as a veteran player."

Adams, now 36, was drafted by the Cardinals in the 23rd round of the 2009 draft out of Slipper Rock University of Pennsylvania. He debuted just three years later in 2012. Adams played a total of five-and-a-half years in St. Louis. He finished his time with the Cardinals with a .270/.314/.456 slash line to go along with 55 home runs and 210 runs batted in.

The Cardinals traded Matt Adams to the Atlanta Braves in 2017 for then-prospect Juan Yepez. Adams would go on to play for the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies with brief stops back in St. Louis in 2018 and Atlanta in 2020. His last major league appearance came in 2021 with the Colorado Rockies.

While Matt Adams provided many celebratory moments in St. Louis, none compare to his three-run home run off Clayton Kershaw in the National League Division Series in 2014.

The Cardinals will celebrate "Big City" this Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He agreed to a one-day contract to retire with the same team that drafted him. Adams also now resides in St. Louis, so he's stayed close to the organization for a few years now. The Cardinals have various events planned at Busch to celebrate his career.

Though he never made it to any All-Star Games or won any awards, Adams sure won the hearts of the St. Louis faithful. He was a key player in the 2014 playoffs, and he was a part of the National League pennant team in 2013. Outside of St. Louis, Adams was with the Nationals when they won the World Series in 2019.