Carpenter nails down deal
Matt Carpenter called agreeing to a new $52 million, six-year deal with St. Louis a no-brainer. The Cardinals are hoping their third baseman sticks even longer than that.
“He’s the type of player you’d like to think could kinish his career as a Cardinal,” St. Louis chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt said Saturday.
St. Louis began contract talks with Carpenter in August. Both sides characterized the negotiations smooth.
“It was not one of those where we were sitting there debating all of Matt’s faults or his weaknesses, because there weren’t any,” St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said. “He’s really a special person not only on the kield but off the kield.”
The deal includes a team option for a seventh year in 2020 at $18.5 million. Should the St. Louis decline the option, they would pay Carpenter a $2 million buyout.
Carpenter hit .318 while leading the National League in hits (199), doubles (55) and runs (126) last season and playing mostly second base. He is moving back to third this season, where he has played most of his professional career.
He earned his kirst AllStar selection in 2013 and kinished fourth in MVP voting. A 13th-round draft choice out of TCU in 2009, Carpenter’s kirst full season in the majors was 2012.
Carpenter switched to second base during last spring training and started 128 games as a middle inkielder in 2013. He also played 24 games at third.
“I realize what a responsibility this is for me,” Carpenter said. “I’m really looking forward to living up to this and continuing being part of such a great organization.”
Starter Jaime Garcia will have his sore shoulder examined by Dr. James Andrews on Monday.
Garcia, 27, felt soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder and hasn’t thrown since the second week of spring training. He has already visited Dr. Andrews’ ofkice once, and it was determined then that he didn’t need surgery.
Blue Jays: Multiple media outlets reported Saturday that Toronto is favored to land Ervin Santana, the top remaining free-agent starting pitcher.
ESPN reported that right-hander Santana, who was 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA for Kansas City last season, was offered a one-year, $14 million contract.
White Sox: Pitcher Jose Quintana was hit in the shin by Gerardo Parra’s line drive and removed from the game against the Diamondbacks after just two batters. Chicago said the left-hander was diagnosed with a bruised shin and is day to day.
Indians: Michael Brantley had four more hits, including two doubles against the Padres, and is hitting .615 (8-for13) in kive Cactus League games.
Yankees: Japanese star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka said the major difference between spring training in Japan and the United States is that the Yankees’ workouts are shorter.
Dodgers: Outkielder Yasiel Puig was excused from his baseball duties in Arizona on Saturday to attend to a personal matter. Manager Don Mattingly declined to say whether Puig had to travel out of state.