Matt Carpenter returns to Cardinals on one-year deal: What will his role be?

ST. LOUIS — Throughout the offseason, St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and manager Oli Marmol have repeatedly stated their intent to bolster their clubhouse with veteran leadership. It was a factor in targeting starting pitchers Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson. With their rotation addressed, the organization shifted its focus to the position-playing side and in doing so brought back a familiar face.

The Cardinals announced late Friday morning that Matt Carpenter, a three-time All-Star and former Cardinal, will return on a one-year major-league deal. The Cardinals will pay Carpenter, 38, the major-league minimum ($740,000) with the Atlanta Braves footing the remainder of the $5.5 million owed on the two-year contract he signed with the San Diego Padres before the 2023 season. (The Padres traded Carpenter to Atlanta over the offseason, where he was then released.) No other provisions are included in the contract, according to an industry source.

Carpenter, who debuted for the Cardinals in 2011, spent the first 11 years of his major-league career in St. Louis. The club elected not to pick up his option after the 2021 season, making him a free agent for the first time. After he spent the winter reinventing his swing, Carpenter joined the New York Yankees in 2022 when he posted a 1.138 OPS and 15 homers over 45 games. The left-handed hitter was used sparingly in his time with San Diego and posted a much lower stat line, averaging a .176/.322/.319 over 237 plate appearances, though he has spent the offseason working extensively with former teammate Matt Holliday, and Mozeliak is optimistic Carpenter’s production line will be steadier in 2024.

“We’re excited,” Mozeliak said in a press conference with local reporters Friday afternoon. “We definitely wanted to try to find somebody with some experience who has been through some things, and speaking with (Marmol) and his group, we thought this would be a pretty good fit.”

Leadership has been the underlying theme for St. Louis this winter. Fresh off the Cardinals’ worst season in 30 years, there has been an internal acknowledgment that the organization relied too much on young, unproven talent in 2023. While that certainly was not the main reason the Cardinals lost 91 games, having a solidified veteran presence should help the young position-playing core of Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman and Brendan Donovan as it navigates through an imperative season for the club.

“Referencing the 2023 season, I would agree that we were missing some voices in that clubhouse,” Mozeliak said. “I definitely feel like somebody like Matt Carpenter, who understands the St. Louis Cardinals and how we do things and understands where he’s at in his own career and understands the type of role he’ll have, like he’s going to come into camp and compete … but he also understands that he’s not where he once was. His contribution can be more of a two-fold part of that, where he can bring in some veteran leadership to the club.”

As St. Louis looks to return to what officials describe as “Cardinal Baseball,” they believe it will help to bring back a player who embodied that style of play for a decade. Lauded for his leadership and commitment to his craft, Carpenter will not compete for a starting role. Instead, the utility infielder will be a bench bat or platoon-type player while serving as a mentor to the younger position players. The organization hopes that Carpenter’s experience will alleviate some of the responsibility from cornerstone veterans Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

“Last year, those two guys were left having to pick up a lion’s share of this,” Mozeliak said. “Being able to spread that out was important. As we were looking at who this type of person could be, Carpenter understands exactly the Cardinal way of doing things and what he was brought up with, but he also understands the group of players we have, because he’s not that far removed.”

The Cardinals created a spot on the 40-man roster for Carpenter on Thursday when right-handed reliever James Naile was released. Naile signed a new contract to play in the Korean Baseball Organization with the KIA Tigers. The conversations to allow Naile to pursue an opportunity in Korea had taken place over the past week. The conversations to bring Carpenter back to St. Louis dated back to mid-November, with both Mozeliak and Marmol in agreement that a position-playing veteran with extensive winning experience would be beneficial.

With the Cardinals’ first official full-squad workout scheduled to take place on Feb. 19, Mozeliak believes he has created a flexible roster, where his left-handed heavy offense can still see amble opportunity. Gorman, Donovan and Lars Nootbaar all have definable roles for the team next year. Mozeliak believes the addition of Carpenter will not block Alec Burleson, but spring performance will ultimately dictate that decision.

The roster might not be complete, however. Mozeliak again indicated he would continue searching for pitching, specifically relievers.

“There are some things we are looking at and trying to pursue,” Mozeliak said. “I’m paying attention on the market and that’s why I can’t speak in absolutes at this point.”

(Photo of Matt Carpenter: Orlando Ramirez / USA Today)

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