Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals agree to reunion

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to recapture some of their past success this offseason by reuniting with several pieces of past championship pieces. First, they signed Lance Lynn to bolster the rotation. Then, the Cardinals named Daniel Descalso as bench coach and added Yadier Molina as a special advisor to John Mozeliak. And now, the Cardinals are in agreement with infielder Matt Carpenter on a 1-year contract.

Following a rough end to his first run with the Cardinals, Carpenter recorded a fantastic season in 2022 with the New York Yankees. He missed significant time due to injury, but Carpenter recorded a 1.138 OPS and 216 OPS+ in 47 games. Upon his departure, the Padres offered him a 2-year, $12 million contract. Due to injuries and overall ineffectiveness, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves and released just three days later.

Carpenter will primarily be used as a depth infield option for the Cardinals in 2023, as the infield positions he can play are already occupied. Because he was released by the Braves, the Cardinals will only have to pay Carpenter league minimum in 2024, so there's little downside for this signing. At the very least, St. Louis will have yet another veteran presence in the dugout, something that was sorely lacking last season.

However, in the slight chance Carpenter is able to find the same success he did in New York or have a resurgence similar to Albert Pujols' farewell tour in 2022, the Cardinals' formidable offense will be bolstered even further. Regardless, this is a solid signing for the Cardinals as they add a depth infielder and a veteran voice with significant Postseason experience.