St. Louis Cardinals: Matt Carpenter has nothing left to give
The St. Louis Cardinals have spent the past couple of offseasons upgrading the corners of their infield. Those trades have also had an effect on their current roster, as the acquisitions of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado have pushed Matt Carpenter into a reduced role.
As Carpenter has played second base before, he was considered a possible option for the Cardinals at that position. Super utility man Tommy Edman is currently penciled in as the starter, but Carpenter could theoretically play a couple of games a week at the keystone while backing up the corner infield spots. Edman could then fill in elsewhere as needed.
Matt Carpenter has nothing left to give the St. Louis Cardinals
The hope is that the Cardinals will be able to get something from Carpenter this season. He is due to receive $18.5 million, making him an expensive piece to have on the bench. The problem is that his production has fallen off sharply in the past two seasons, as he has posted an 89 OPS+ with 19 homers and 26 doubles in his 677 plate appearances.
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As bad as Carpenter has looked over the past two seasons, he has been even worse in spring training. Heading into Thursday, he had just one hit, a double, in 40 plate appearances this spring. He has drawn seven walks, but his 13 strikeouts and lack of hard contact are concerning.
In addition, his glove has trended downward as well. He has been passable at third, but the presence of Arenado and his incredible defense will minimize his contributions there. Carpenter has not played second since 2018, when he cost St. Louis four runs in just 11 games.
The hope was that Carpenter could thrive once again in a utility role. Instead, he has struggled even more during the spring, his production from the past couple of years looking positively Ruthian in comparison. At this point, Carpenter is just a shell of what he had been.
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The St. Louis Cardinals were hoping that Matt Carpenter could provide a boost off the bench this year. Instead, he may not have anything left at all.