Paul Goldschmidt was instrumental in Cardinals reunion with fan-favorite

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to bounce back from a 2023 season that saw them fall short of expectations. Even when they were still in the running for a postseason berth, the Cardinals pulled the proverbial plug and were huge sellers at the trade deadline. This offseason, they made a bevy of moves, primarily in the starting rotation, signing Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn to fill the voids left by Adam Wainwright, Jordan Montgomery, and Jack Flaherty.

One of the more forgotten moves of the Cardinals offseason was reuniting with Matt Carpenter, who left the team after the 2021 season. Carpenter was a fan favorite after spending 11 seasons with the team. Now, he is back on a one-year, $740,000 contract.

It appears Cardinals fans have first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to thank. Goldschmidt said, via John Denton of MLB.com, that he pushed for the team to bring Carpenter back, believing that he still has what it takes to help out the team.

Paul Goldschmidt says he pushed Cardinals to bring Matt Carpenter back

“I’ll be honest, I pushed for Carp -- when he was a free agent -- for him to come back,” Goldschmidt said, h/t MLB.com. “I saw the impact he can have on the field and off it. The best teams always have players like him because they make the players around them better. That can’t always be measured in the stats. I’ll really rely on him a lot and ask what he sees with my swing.”

Carpenter made his major league debut with the Cardinals in 2011 for a total of seven games. But since that season, Carpenter had been a mainstay for the team, earning three All-Star Game nominations (2013-14, 2016) and one Silver Slugger Award (2013). But in his final two seasons, Carpenter struggled at the plate, batting below .200 each year.

After being declined an option by the Cardinals, Carpenter became a free agent. Carpenter would join the Texas Rangers on a minor league deal but would be sent to the New York Yankees in a trade. From there, Carpenter became an instant fan favorite for the Yankees in the 2022 season, in which he recorded a .305 batting average, a .412 on-base percentage, a .727 slugging percentage, 15 home runs, 28 runs, 37 RBI, and 39 hits in 128 at-bats (47 games). His season was cut short after suffering a broken foot.

This past season with the San Diego Padres, Carpenter slashed .176/.322/.319 while recording five home runs, 18 runs, 31 RBI, 33 hits, 67 strikeouts, and 41 walks in 188 at-bats (76 games).

Now back with the Cardinals, Carpenter is scheduled to be the primary backup at first base, second base, and third base. If he can put up the numbers as he did during his time with the Yankees in 2022, it could be an underrated move by the Cardinals. Goldschmidt does bring up that stats aside, he can be beneficial to the clubhouse, and, as evidenced in his comments above, he will ask Carpenter for tips on his swing.

Goldschmidt did see a drop-off in production this past season, as he slashed .268/.363/.447 while recording 25 home runs, 80 RBI, 89 runs, 159 hits, 161 strikeouts, and 87 walks in 593 at-bats (154 games).

Carpenter will have the chance to help the team in more ways than just on the field in 2024.