15 best trades in St. Louis Cardinals history

#9 - Scott Rolen (2002)

Cardinals acquire: 3B Scott Rolen and RHP Doug Nickle
Phillies acquire: 2B Placido Polanco, RHP Mike Timlin, and LHP Bud Smith

Total surplus fWAR: 18.3

A member of the iconic MV3, recent Hall of Fame inductee Scott Rolen played for four Major League teams during his career, but his most successful and accomplished era came with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Like so many lopsided trades in baseball history, Rolen only became available in trade because of how contract negotiations broke down between him and the Philadelphia Phillies' ownership. The Phillies offered Rolen a $140 million contract, but he called up negotiations with the club "on principle" because he did not feel like the club was invested enough in winning. It was a great financial offer, but he was looking to go somewhere that was coming to compete for a championship.

In swooped Walt Jocketty and Bill DeWitt Jr., snagging another superstar-level player to take the Cardinals' lineup and defense to the next level.

Upon acquiring Rolen at the 2002 trade deadline, the Cardinals instantly had one of the best lineups in baseball and most fearsome trios in baseball history with Rolen, Albert Pujols, and Jim Edmonds. Along with that, by the time Yadier Molina debuted in 2004, you could argue that the Cardinals had the best defensive catcher, first baseman, third baseman, and center fielder in the game.

Rolen was a special player, one who made plenty of noise with his bat (127 OPS+ in six seasons with St. Louis) and even more with his glove, winning four Gold Gloves with the Cardinals as well. Rolen's 2004 season was one of the best seasons by a third baseman in MLB history, as he slashed .314/.409/.598 with 34 home runs and 124 RBI while finishing fourth in MVP voting and taking home another Gold Glove award due to an insane 30 defensive runs saved at the hot corner. That year, Pujols, Rolen, and Edmonds finished third, fourth, and fifth in MVP voting, an incredible feat by the MV3 trio.

During his time with St. Louis, he helped lead the club to 105-wins in 2004, and even though most would say that was one of the best teams in Cardinals history, they were swept by 2004's team of destiny, the Boston Red Sox, in the World Series on their way to breaking their infamous curse. But Rolen did get his World Series title in 2006, helping the Cardinals sneak into the playoffs with 83 wins and take home the World Series in five games over the Detroit Tigers.

In the deal to acquire Rolen, the Cardinals did give up infielder Placido Polanco, who was a very good big leaguer for a long time and provided the Phillies with a ton of value both offensively and defensively. The Cardinals would make this trade 100/100 times, but the value they lost in Polanco was real. Still, they acquired a Hall of Fame third baseman for six seasons, so no reason to complain!

Polanco's 9.2 fWAR is why Rolen's 27.2 fWAR was cut down to just 18.3 fWAR in surplus value, but that's still one of the more lopsided trades in Cardinals history. While Rolen's ending with the Cardinals was just as messy as his was with the Phillies, Rolen is a beloved figure in St. Louis and someone who will be an ambassador for the organization for life.