St. Louis Cardinals: Ranking the 10 best trades in the last 20 years

5. July 29, 2002: Rolen joins the St. Louis Cardinals, but at a price.

Cardinals Receive: Scott Rolen, Doug Nickle

Phillies Receive: Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith

I will remember Scott Rolen for a lot of things, but perhaps one of the best memories to highlight is the interference call he drew on Brandon Inge in the 2006 World Series. He was a smart player who wanted to win, and would do what it took to get there.

It helps that he was a good ballplayer too. He was a 4-time All-Star in his six seasons in St. Louis, while slashing .286/.370/.510 with 111 home runs and 453 RBIs.

He received the Gold Glove three times while in St. Louis, and was part of the core that made the World Series in 2004 and won it in 2006. Most, if not all Cardinal fans, appreciate Scott Rolen as one of the best Cardinal third basemen of all time.

Polanco had a pretty good career himself, racking up over 2,000 hits and finishing his long 16-year career with a .296 batting average. Timlin was a solid player as well, putting together a 17-year career, and had a 3.76 ERA in the time after being traded from the Cardinals. The value of these players was a lot for the Cardinals to sacrifice, but it worked out just fine.