Carpenter, 39, played 59 games for the Cardinals last season but was not signed on the free-agent market this past winter. Originally drafted by the Cardinals as a 13th-rounder out of TCU in 2009, Carpenter went on to play parts of 14 MLB seasons, 12 of which came with the Cardinals.

Later in his career, Carpenter enjoyed a partial renaissance season with the Yankees in 2022 and then played for the Padres in 2023 before his concluding season back with the Cardinals the following year.

While Carpenter does not merit serious consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame, he is almost certain one day to be elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame. His 26.7 WAR as a Cardinal ranks 22nd all-time among position players in franchise history.