CHICAGO -- Matt Carpenter has a great thing going with the St. Louis Cardinals, as the patient, salsa-making infielder who has a World Series ring from 2011 and once mashed a series-changing hit against Clayton Kershaw.
A lot of the extensions agreed to by players this spring have seemingly been driven by anxiety, leading to many team-friendly deals. But Carpenter's two-year, $37 million amendment to a contract that was set to expire after this year is a case of a veteran exercising emotional leverage. As one of the most prominent members of one of the most storied franchises in baseball, Carpenter is probably worth more to the Cardinals than to any other team, so it was smart business for him to work this out last month.