Prior to signing with the New York Yankees, Matt Carpenter reportedly drew interest from multiple other teams with World Series aspirations.
In a piece for The New York Post, Jon Heyman writes that the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves "were among others to reach out" to Carpenter when he was released by the Texas Rangers from his minor-league deal on May 19.
Ultimately, though, Carpenter landed a major-league deal from the New York Yankees. While Carpenter had to shave the beard that he sported for much of his 11-season tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals, it appears that he picked the right destination. The 36-year-old is slashing .263/.417/.895 with four home runs, six RBIs and a staggering 1.311 OPS in eight games since joining the Yankees.
Carpenter did get his first 15 major league at-bats for the 2011 Cardinals, who would go on to win the World Series. However, the three-time All-Star wasn't truly a part of that team. More than a decade later, he's become an unlikely cog for a Yankees team that has an MLB-best 41 wins and looks like the favorite to win the World Series currently.
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