What difference a couple of months can make.
For much of the summer, corners of the baseball world were abuzz about the prospect of St. Louis Cardinals long-time rotation anchor Chris Carpenter being traded to a contender. The New York Yankees were one of the clubs most often mentioned as a possible destination.
Carpenter, 36, was in the final months of a contract signed prior to the 2007 season. He was already afforded full no-trade protection as a ten-and-five man, but that didn’t seem to matter. The Cardinals did not make public comments suggesting in any way that Carpenter was available, but the speculation continued.
The trade deadlines passed and Carpenter remained a Cardinal. Further, on September 12, in the midst of St. Louis’ dramatic comeback in the standings, he and the Cardinals announced a two-year extension for a total of $21 million. To read more about his background, what I said at the time and view the results of a reader poll on the deal, click here.
Of course, Ca...
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