The St. Louis Cardinals denied Matt Carpenter's club option last week, which means he will become a free agent. That will end a long, successful 11-year stint with the franchise in which he played a key part in numerous playoff runs.

Carpenter reflected on his time with the Cardinals in a heartfelt Players Tribune article:

“I’ve tried to soak up these last few months as best as I could. I knew the end might be coming, and I wanted to really feel every last moment I had as a Card. The things that had become monotonous, like the pregame stretch or batting practice, I tried to pretend it was my first ball game again. I looked around the stadium as much as I could, taking mental pictures at every step along the way. Man … just thinking about what an honor this has been.

Just thinking about what an honor it’s been to have represented this city.

Thank you to the Cardinals ownership, to our front office, to every single worker at Busch Stadium: You guys really make it the best home field in the world, and the best organization in all of sports. And to Cardinals Nation: Y’all are unmatched. The love you showed, not only in St. Louis, but wherever we went … incredible. Really incredible. Thank you. We shared it all together — the postseason, the curtain calls, the walkoffs. We even shared the salsa.

We shared a lot of incredible moments together. I’ll remember all of them.

I love you, St. Louis.”

The Cardinals really took a chance on Carpenter, who was a fifth-year senior at TCU when they drafted him in the 13th round and gave him a mere $1,000 signing bonus in 2019. Just two years later, he made his big league debut and went on to be a key component of their success over the next decade.

During his time with the Cardinals, he hit .262 with 155 homers and made three All-Star teams. Carpenter struggled immensely in 2021 though, slashing only .169 in 249 plate appearances. Nevertheless, he was a huge piece of the organization for many years and will be missed.

Hopefully, Carpenter can find a home elsewhere.