The conclusion of Matt Carpenter’s 2022 season with the New York Yankees demonstrated unequivocally that baseball, like life, is not fair. After Carpenter and his WB Mason moustache revitalized his career during one of the hottest summers on record, the team hurried him back from a foot fracture only to be rewarded with a pathetic playoff performance.
On the other hand, Carpenter’s new beginning for 2023 and beyond demonstrates that sometimes, good things happen to decent people. They just do not occur frequently enough in Yankee uniforms.
Carpenter’s 15 home runs and.305 batting average in 128 at-bats made him a fan favourite in the Bronx. The postseason of 2022 may have been the climax of his return. In a heartfelt homage to Joey Gallo, an out-of-rhythm Carpenter was an automatic strikeout, striking out nine times in 12 plate appearances.
Carpenter would have been re-signed for 2023 if the Yankees were permitted to carry a 46-man roster with an unlimited budget.
In the current state of the roster, however, it is not difficult to understand why Brian Cashman declined to guarantee $12 million over two years (which could increase to $21 million) while exceeding the Steve Cohen Tax threshold to add a bench bat who cannot help fill the left field vacancy.
Matt Carpenter is traded to the Padres for $12 million
Carpenter would make an excellent part-time Padre. He may have reached his peak in 2022. Regardless of the outcome, the Yankees never had a chance in this game despite reviving his career in the minors last season.
The Americans do not deserve all of the credit for the resurrection; they only opened the door. Carpenter’s tough offseason effort, frequently performed alongside new Cardinals manager and former player Matt Holliday, enabled him to return to and surpass his prior peak.
No one, not even Shane Spencer, has ever had a June and July like Matt Carpenter’s for the Yankees. If you could add this player to the 2023 roster, you would do it in a heartbeat. His Aaron Judge impersonation eliminated that possibility.
Read Also: Robert Clary Found Dead: What was Robert Clary Cause of Death?