When the Cardinals signed Chris Carpenter, they hoped to add depth for the second half of the 2003 season. Instead, they discovered an ace for their 2006 and 2011 World Series championships.
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound righthander was drafted by the Blue Jays 15th overall in the first round of the 1993 draft out of Trinity High School in Manchester, New Hampshire. As a 23-year-old, Carpenter went 12-7 in his first full season with the Jays in 1998, posting a 4.37 ERA over 175 innings.
The following year, he enjoyed a breakout season with a 3.24 ERA at the all-star break despite missing most of June with elbow inflammation. After the break, however, his ERA spiked to 6.31 and his season ended with surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow.
In 2000, Carpenter stayed healthy but battled through the worst season of his Toronto career, going 10-12 with a 6.26 ERA. His 122 earned runs that season led the American League and in August the Jays briefly relegated him to the bullpen.
The 2001 season proved to be a bounce-back campaign for Carpenter as the 26-year-old won 11 games and posted a 4.09 ERA over 215 2/3 innings. In 2002, he was named Toronto’s opening-day starter, but lasted just 2 1/3 innings before he was placed on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. On April 21, he returned for his second start of the season, but lasted just three innings before he was sidelined again.
Carpenter didn’t make his third start of the season until June 22. By August, he was back on the disabled list. This time, the diagnosis called for surgery, and pins were inserted into his shoulder to anchor his labrum.
At season’s end, with Carpenter expected to miss the first half of the 2003 season, the Blue Jays removed Carpenter from their 40-man roster and instead offered him a minor-league contract with incentives.[1] Carpenter declined, opting instead to become a free agent.
Meanwhile, starting pitching was one of general manager Walt Jocketty’s top offseason priorities following Darryl Kile’s passing in June and the recent retirement of Andy Benes. He already had re-signed Woody Williams to a two-year, $14.9 million contract and Chuck Finley, whom the Cardinals acquired in a trade with the Indians in July, also was considering a contract offer to return for 2003 (ultimately, he turned down the Cardinals’ offer and did not play again).
Jocketty also explored trade possibilities with the Expos regarding Bartolo Colon and Javier Vazquez and with the Giants regarding Livan Hernandez and Russ Ortiz,[2] as well as a potential deal with the Padres that would send Gold Glove second baseman Fernando Vina to the Padres for Brett Tomko and Kevin Jarvis.[3]
Even as Jocketty talked with other teams about potential trade opportunities, he also explored the option of adding Carpenter to the Cardinals’ roster. On December 9, Carpenter traveled to St. Louis to have an MRI completed on his shoulder.[4] Three days later, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals, who had explored trading for Carpenter during the recent trade deadline, were negotiating a new deal with Carpenter. The paper described him as “a potential swingman for the Redbirds late next season.”[5]
“He’s somebody we’ve liked for a while,” Jocketty said. “I would like to think something could happen soon.”[6]
On December 13, Carpenter, who had earned $3.45 million with the Blue Jays in 2002, signed a $700,000 contract with the Cardinals. Unlike Toronto’s offer, the deal included a major-league roster spot. Carpenter would earn the major-league minimum salary of $300,000 with a $200,000 bonus if he appeared in a major-league game. The contract included a team option for 2004 with a $200,000 buyout.[7]
Carpenter said his decision to sign had little to do with the money. Instead, he was motivated by conversations with former teammates Mike Matheny, Pat Hentgen, and Williams, each of whom had played in St. Louis.
“They all said it was the best city, the best fans, the best organization,” Carpenter said. “It wasn’t a financial decision at all. It was because it was the best situation.”[8]
Despite both the Cardinals and Carpenter’s hopes for 2003, he wouldn’t make an impact until 2004. On July 29, after he experienced discomfort in his shoulder during his rehab assignment, Carpenter underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove scar tissue. In November, the Cardinals declined to exercise their option on Carpenter’s contract, though they expressed hope that they could re-sign him under a restructured deal.
“I think Carpenter is a guy who we think could still help us,” Jocketty said. “We went through the whole rehab process last year and he has a clean bill of health.”[9]
In December, Carpenter and the Cardinals agreed to a one-year deal and Jocketty announced that he planned for Carpenter to be one of the Cardinals’ starters to open the year.
“I don’t think there’s any concern for him not being ready,” Jocketty said.[10]
Finally healthy for the first time in years, Carpenter proved to be more than ready, going 15-5 with a 3.46 ERA to help the Cardinals win the National League Central Division.
He was even better in 2005, going 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA to win the NL Cy Young Award. Carpenter’s 241 2/3 innings included seven complete games, more than anyone in baseball. In the postseason, he went 2-0 in three starts with a 2.14 ERA over 21 innings.
During Carpenter’s nine seasons in St. Louis, he emerged as one of baseball’s best pitchers when healthy, going 95-44 with a 3.07 ERA. In 2006, Carpenter threw eight shutout innings in Game 3 of the World Series to help the Cardinals capture their 10th world championship. Five years later, he outdueled Roy Halladay to win Game 7 of the NLDS, then earned the win in two World Series games to help the Cardinals top the Rangers in seven games.
In 2016, Carpenter was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
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[1] “Blue Jays, Carpenter go separate ways,” Windsor Star, December 13, 2002.
[2] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals might be closing gap with Finley,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 12, 2002.
[3] Joe Strauss, “Cards’ chance of keeping Finley is put at 50-50,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2002.
[4] Joe Strauss, “Cards’ chance of keeping Finley is put at 50-50,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2002.
[5] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals might be closing gap with Finley,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 12, 2002.
[6] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals might be closing gap with Finley,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 12, 2002.
[7] Joe Strauss, “Cards’ chance of keeping Finley is put at 50-50,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2002.
[8] Joe Strauss, “Cards’ chance of keeping Finley is put at 50-50,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2002.
[9] Dan O’Neill, “Cardinals decline option on Vina,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 4, 2003.
[10] Joe Strauss, “Cards still like Carpenter’s tools,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 2, 2003.