MLB reporter AJ Casavell says San Diego Padres have added Matt Carpenter to their title hopes for 2023: "Padres and Matt Carpenter have a deal"

Following a brief but resurgent stint with the New York Yankees, Matt Carpenter has signed with the San Diego Padres. The longtime St. Louis Cardinal joined the Yankees last season and proceeded to hit the ball better than he ever had.

According to AJ Cassavell, the Padres have inked the hitter to a one-year contract with a player option.

Cassavell tweeted:

"The Padres and Matt Carpenter have agreed to a deal for 2023 with a player option for the 2024 season, per a source. Carpenter will play something of a utility role in San Diego -- some 1B, LF, RF, DH and potentially backup 2B and 3B as well."

Carpenter suffered an injury that cost him the last few months of the regular season and caused him to be ineffective in brief post-season action, but he proved he can still be a potent hitter. The Padres are counting on that.

They added Xander Bogaerts to a core that features Manny Machado, Juan Soto, and Fernando Tatis Jr.

Tatis Jr. will miss part of next season due to a PED suspension, but the lineup the Padres can construct in his absence is a lot more potent.

Carpenter's addition also provides them with incredible defensive versatility. He doesn't feature a Gold Glove at any position, but he can fill in at many places. As Cassavell mentioned, he may play outfield and first base as well as second or third base if necessary.

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How good was Matt Carpenter last season?

Following his tenure with the Cardinals, it didn't look like Matt Carpenter had much left in the tank. However, playing at Yankee Stadium seemed to revitalize him.

He posted absurd numbers, albeit in a smaller sample size. In 47 games, he recorded a 2.3 fWAR. Over the course of a full season, that would be about 7.3 fWAR.

Matt Carpenter hit at an elite level last year

He recorded an absurd 217 wRC+. By contrast, Aaron Judge, in his all-time historic and record-breaking season, only had a 207. That total would have qualified for the fourth-highest of all-time, just ahead of Barry Bonds in 2003.