“We’ve got arms all over the place,” Carpenter said.

The Cardinals, in camp, have nine pitchers who started at least one game for the club in 2018. Then there is another, Hudson, who was baseball’s top starter in Class AA and Class AAA in 2016 and 2017, respectively, but who relieved in all 26 of his appearances with the Cardinals last year.

“Hudson’s a starter, for me,” said Carpenter.

“It’s a good problem to have. You hope nobody gets hurt or gets set back, but it happens every year, where you need that depth.

“If there aren’t spots (available), they’ll go back to Triple-A and we’ll use them as we need them. The main thing is that the young guys who are excited and want to be here understand the process. They have to see the depth we have.

“We have a lot of guys who have really good arms and who really want to learn. How can you not enjoy being around that?

“It’s not you like you have a bunch of donkeys that you don’t even want to talk to and they’re here just to walk around with a uniform on. It’s different when there are a bunch of guys investing in you and wanting to talk to you, asking questions and who want to learn and listen ... that makes it worthwhile.”