The St. Louis Cardinals are entering yet another season with veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright in their starting rotation.
The 41-year-old has carried the torch ever since it was passed down to him by Chris Carpenter.
But this will be the final season that Wainwright will carry that torch.
The three-time All-Star announced that 2023 would be his final season after he re-signed with the Cards on a one-year, $17.5 million deal.
Still, he has been asked about his retirement and what a farewell tour for him might look like for him.
On Monday, during the final day of the Cardinals annual “Winter Warmup,” the two-time World Series champion confirmed his statement from October, reiterating that 2023 would be his last season.
Full 36-minute Adam Wainwright press conference from #STLCards Winter Warmup.
“This is it.”
Video courtesy of @kyler416.
📺⬇️https://t.co/XPI8zPHJYo pic.twitter.com/rW0bFXyKpk
— Charlie Marlow (@CharlieMarlow_) January 16, 2023
It’s clear that Wainwright does not want to indulge in a farewell tour like the one Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina received in 2022.
But he made it very clear that 2023 will in fact be his final season.
Naturally, things are going to look different for the Cardinals in 2023 without Molina behind the dish and Pujols in the middle of their lineup.
But things will be very different in 2024 when Wainwright is gone.
But the veteran righty has seen it all during his career.
He has closed out four postseason series and has been a part of three World Series teams, two of which won the title.
The 41-year-old is the last holdover from those three teams.
Cardinals fans will have one more opportunity to witness Wainwright’s greatness before he calls it a career.
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