The St Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels have completed a trade that was rumored all week. The Cardinals will send third baseman David Freese along with reliever Fernando Salas to the Angels in exchange for outfielders Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk.
Freese is the biggest name in this trade after his 2011 Postseason heroics, but Bourjos is probably the best overall player in the deal. In 2013, the 30-year old Freese slumped to a .262/.340/.381 line with just nine home runs in 138 games. Freese has two years of arbitration remaining, and is projected to earn $4.4 million in 2014 by MLBTR.
Bourjos is a glove-first outfielder, and there wasn't room for him with the Angels thanks to the presence of Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton's contract, and emerging prospect Kole Calhoun. The 26-year old hit just .274/.333/.377 in 55 games in 2013, missing time thanks to a strained hamstring, sprained thumb, and fractured wrist. 2014 is his first of three arbitration seasons, and MLBTR projected him to earn just $1.1 million this year.
The other two players involved in the deal aren't very exciting. Salas is 28, and split 2013 between AAA and the majors, just two years after saving 24 games for the Cardinals. This year in the majors, Salas pitched to a 4.50 ERA in 28 innings, punching out 22, walking six, and allowing three homers. That 2011 season remains the high watermark on Salas' career, and he remains a homer-prone fly ball pitcher. The 22-year old Grichuk was a first-round pick by the Angels in 2009 (one pick ahead of Trout), and spent 2013 with AA Arkansas, hitting .256/.306/.474 in 128 games with 22 homers and a career-high 28 walks.
This deal is more fun to look at from the Cardinals' perspective than the Angels' perspective. Los Angeles didn't have a third baseman after trading Alberto Callaspo last July, and now, they do. Bourjos wasn't going to get regular playing time, so dealing him made sense. It's very easy to see what happens with the Angels after this trade.
As for the Cardinals, things are going to get a little more complicated. This trade pretty much rules out a return to St Louis for Carlos Beltran, which seemed to be the writing on the wall for awhile now. It also solidifies the move from second to third for Matt Carpenter, and slots Kolten Wong in at second base. This trade also looks like it spells the end of Jon Jay as an every day player in St Louis, especially when coupled with Allen Craig's probable shift to right field and Matt Adams taking over at first base. Jay could be trade or non-tender bait, as his $3.4 million projected salary in 2014 is steep for a fourth outfielder.
I think this trade also suggests that Oscar Taveras, despite his addition to the Cardinals' 40-man roster this week, isn't going to be ready to start the season in St Louis. Taveras had ankle surgery this past June, and I'd assume the Cardinals want the 21-year old to get a full year in AAA before giving him the call to the majors. At best, the club will have another decision to make with him next year, much like the Rangers did this offseason with Jurickson Profar.
All in all, this is one of those trades that works out well for both sides. The clubs matched up perfectly, and were each able to fill the other's hole. But really, it's more of an immediate fix for the Angels, and more of a long-term fix for the Cardinals. And honestly, that's something both clubs have been focusing on over the past few offseasons to varying degrees of success. The Cardinals have set themselves up for long-term contention with their transactions, but are also contending in the present. Meanwhile, the Angels are trying to give up most of the future to win now, and aren't really succeeding with that line of thinking. This deal's value might be gone for the Angels in a little more than a year, while the Cardinals could still be reaping the rewards at the end of the decade.
