
7. July 5, 2006: The St. Louis Cardinals trade that made 2006 possible.
Cardinals Receive: Jeff Weaver and cash
Angels Receive: Terry Evans
While this trade didn’t have nearly as long of a payoff as the previous trades, it has one thing that the previous don’t: a St. Louis Cardinals World Series Champion.
Weaver was an embattled pitcher in Anaheim, recording an abysmal 6.29 ERA in 16 starts for the Angels after signing a one-year deal worth $8.325 million in the offseason. The Angels were anxiously awaiting the opportunity to send Weaver packing, and the Cardinals pounced.
Weaver was critical in engineering the 2006 championship run, with his domination in the 2006 playoffs giving the Cardinals the push they needed to get to the top. Weaver finished the 2006 postseason with a 3-2 record, 2.47 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 29.2 innings.
While Weaver was gone following the 2006 season, the mark he left during the playoffs, and his invaluable contributions toward the 2006 World Series win gives this trade merit.
Evans only played 20 games over 3 seasons for the Angels.