FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal hears that the long-term contract extension being discussed by the Cardinals and infielder Matt Carpenter would be for six years. Rosenthal's source says the deal is "very close" to being finished. Carpenter is entering his final pre-arbitration season, so this extension would run through all three arbitration years and his first two years of free agency. It's risky to lock up a 28-year-old late-bloomer coming off a breakout campaign, but the Cardinals could be saving themselves a ton of money in the long run. Carpenter was among the most productive players in baseball in 2013.