Predicting where these 4 remaining Cardinals free agents will sign

Matt Carpenter: Retire

While Matt Carpenter has also expressed interest in playing in 2025, I do not see where his fit is on the free-agent market. While I'm not sure this would happen soon, I do believe at some point Carpenter will just retire as a player from the game of baseball.

I could certainly see Carpenter taking on a coaching role with the Cardinals or another organization next or jumping into broadcasting, but I'm sad to say it seems like his playing days are now over.

Carpenter had some bright spots on the field for St. Louis in 2024, but overall, he was a negative WAR player who mostly sat on the bench for the Cardinals and was mainly brought in for his clubhouse presence.

It's a weird end to his career considering just how impactful of a player he will go down as in Cardinals history. His final extension did not go well and the reunion tour this year was more of the same, so people tend to forget just how incredible of a player Carpenter was for such a long time.

Perhaps there is an organization out there that would take a flyer on Carpenter as a non-roster invite this offseason, but even that feels like a stretch at this point. The Cardinals really don't seem like a fit anymore based on their stated priorities, so I would rule that out here as well.

In 157 plate appearances last year, Carpenter slashed .234/.314/.372, which just is not good enough for a guy who doesn't really play the field anymore either. Retirement seems imminent for Carpenter, but he should be heading to the Cardinals Hall of Fame in the near future.