The St. Louis Cardinals and infielder Matt Carpenter have agreed to a six-year extension worth $54 million, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Matt Carpenter, Cardinals agree to 6-year extension
Carpenter has a chance to earn up to $72.5 million through 2020 if an option for a seventh year is picked up.
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Carpenter, still in his pre-arbitration years prior to signing the contract, would not have been a free agent until after the 2017 season. Essentially, the Cardinals are buying out all three years of his arbitration and two years of free agent eligibility. There is also an $18.5 million dollar option for a seventh year that would bring the total value of the deal up to $72.5 million.
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In just his second full season of major league action, Carpenter proved himself to be a valuable piece for St. Louis. He played 157 games, hitting .318/.392/.481 with 11 home runs and a league-leading 55 doubles. He was a first-time All Star, won a Silver Slugger, and finished fourth in NL MVP voting.
Carpenter, 28, can also play second base, third base, first base and outfield as needed. He spent most of 2013 at second, but with top prospect Kolten Wong ready to take over, the Cardinals traded away incumbent third baseman David Freese to the Angels and moved Carpenter to the hot corner full-time.
The contract breakdown is as follows:
Signing bonus: $1.5 million
2014: $1 million
2015: $3.5 million
2016: $6.25 million
2017: $9.75 million
2018: $13.5 million
2019: $14.5 million
2020: Option for $18.5 million, $2 million buyout
The new deal will keep Carpenter in St. Louis at least through his age-34 season.
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