Matt Carpenter struggled last season, failing to produce when he wasn't sidelined due to injury for the St. Louis Cardinals.

"I certainly was candid with our front office and our coaching staff at the end of the year," Carpenter said. "I just wanted to apologize. I felt like I'd let them down. I was really hard on myself the way that I played. I was hopeful that they still had faith in me. We had some real good conversations."

He hit a career-high 36 home runs in 2018, making him a National League MVP candidate. Carpenter signed a two-year, $39 million deal last April 19 that included a no-trade clause.

"I think and know he wants to bounce back. He's always been a really hard worker," owner Bill DeWitt said. "I know he wants to get back to where he was the year before, which was pretty elite."