St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - The career of St. Louis Cardinals
starting pitcher Chris Carpenter may be in jeopardy going forward.
At a Tuesday press conference, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak
revealed he doesn't expect the former Cy Young award winner to pitch for the
team this upcoming season, calling it "very unlikely" as the 37-year-old
continues to have discomfort from last year's medical issues.
Last season, Carpenter had been sidelined since spring training before
choosing to undergo surgery in July to relieve a nerve-related issue in his
throwing shoulder. He was expected to miss the remainder of the 2012 season,
but came back to make three regular season starts at the end of the campaign
as well as three in the postseason.
However, the right-hander has since told management he experienced setbacks
while intensifying his throwing program in preparation for spring training,
and multiple sources with further knowledge of the pitcher's situation have
said Carpenter is contemplating retirement.
At the press conference, Mozeliak added, "At some point, he'll start
reflecting on the next chapter of his life" but it won't be decided today.
Carpenter, a three-time All-Star, won the Cy Young in 2005 and after
missing large chunks of the 2007 and '08 campaigns due to ongoing elbow
problems, returned in 2009 to finish 17-4 with a career-best 2.24 ERA and
claim the Comeback Player of the Year award. He was also a major contributor
in helping St. Louis to World Series titles in 2006 and 2011.
Over his 15-year career, Carpenter has pitched more than 2200 innings in
amassing a 144-94 overall record and a career 3.76 earned run average with the
Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays.
The Sports Network