Veteran left-handed hitter Matt Carpenter is back in his hometown of St. Louis.
The St. Louis Cardinals announced on the 20th (Korea Standard Time) that they have agreed to a one-year contract with Carpenter.
Carpenter exercised his 2024 season player option in a one-plus-one deal agreed with the San Diego Padres, guaranteeing $5.5 million a year.
He was immediately released after being traded to the Atlanta Braves in December last year. St. Louis only pays the minimum salary, while Atlanta pays the rest.
Carpenter appeared in 76 games last season with a .176 batting average, 0.322 on-base percentage, 0.319 slugging percentage, five homers and 31 RBIs.
San Diego recruited him after seeing his performance with the New York Yankees in the 2022 season (0.305 batting average in 47 games, 0.412 on-base percentage, and 0.727 slugging percentage), but the results were disappointing, and Carpenter suffered the humiliation of being released after the trade.
Taking on new challenges with a new team. Even though it’s a new team, it’s a familiar team to him as well.
Carpenter was drafted by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the 2009 draft and made his big league debut in 2011.
In 11 seasons, he played 1329 games as a Cardinals player, batting .262 with a .368 on-base percentage and a .449 slugging percentage. He has made six postseason appearances, including in 2013, when he made it to the world series.
After the announcement of Carpenter’s recruitment, John Moselik, chairman of the Cardinals’ baseball management committee, said in an interview with local media such as “The Athletic” that he contacted Carpenter shortly after he was released.
Coach Moselik, who couldn’t stop his team from falling to the bottom last season, said he was “looking for an experienced player” and that he was looking for a veteran whose experience would help in difficult situations.
“I think I have leadership that leads by example, but I also think I have the ability to speak out when I see things that are not right. Last year, this role was mostly passed on to Goldie (first baseman Paul Goldschmidt), and I think this was quite a challenge for him,” he said, adding that he is also looking forward to his role as a clubhouse leader.