STL Cardinals: 1 player from each of the last 3 years failing miserably, and 1 picking up speed

The St. Louis Cardinals have faced criticism for letting talented players move on to success elsewhere. But there have been some players it was a good idea to move on from when they did. 

Not all St. Louis Cardinals transactions end in disaster with the leaving player becoming a superstar elsewhere. even if it feels that way. That is always the fear, but some players overstayed their welcome with the Cards, and how they play now substantiates this information.

Let’s go down memory lane to recall some of these former Cardinals who are now failing miserably elsewhere.

St. Louis Cardinals players failing: Matt Carpenter is failing miserably

Matt Carpenter had a reasonably successful decade with the Cardinals. Reasonably because the last two seasons were a disaster since he didn’t seem to vibe with the hitting analytics approach that the team was adhering to with then-coach Jeff Albert.

In his last season with the Cardinals in 2021, he hit .169/.305/.275 with three home runs and 21 RBIs. In 2022 he signed with the Yankees and seemed to return to form. He hit .305/.412/.727 with 15 home runs and 37 RBI.

This season he signed with the Padres, and he has regressed. This season he’s hitting 180/.310/.327 with four home runs and 27 RBI. Carpenter is not the hitter he once was for the Cardinals, or even the Yankees for that matter.

The 37-year-old signed a two-season contract with the Padres for $12 million. He’ll be a free agent again in 2024. The Padres have a lot of young talent, and having Carpenter around will provide some veteran leadership that is desperately needed with the team’s wide variety of personalities this season.