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

While the St. Louis Cardinals aren’t a team traditionally known for trading for big names, trade rumors for several big names have come out with the Cardinals heading the list.

In honor of the start of trade rumors, here are the 10 biggest trades the St. Louis Cardinals have made in the past 20 years.

Many organizations are known for their blockbuster trades and the St. Louis Cardinals have fallen on both sides of this coin. Most MLB fans would recognize the Babe Ruth trade that shaped the landscape of baseball during its time, but were there any similar that shook the earth of Cardinals Nation?

And if so, how were they received? Did the moves change the future landscape of the Cardinals franchise? Are the birds on the bat experiencing tremors left over from past trades?

In order to culminate a list of 10 great trades, I first had to create criteria against which the numerous trades could be evaluated.

These trades will be rated based off of the overall value of the trade, which is based on a few points. It mainly relies on both the short- and long-term values that the St. Louis Cardinals received, but the things that they had to give up, or a lack thereof, also plays a significant part.

In addition, moves that made significant contributions to World Series wins also have more weight.

That said, this is only covering from the 1997 season to the 2017 season, so the heist of Lou Brock, which is an obvious number one on many all-time Cardinal trade lists, will not be here.

10. December 20, 1999: St. Louis Cardinals get Fernando Vina.

Cardinals Receive: Fernando Vina

Brewers Receive: Eliezer Alfonzo, Matt Parker

Vina was a marvelous find for the Cardinals. The 1-time All-Star only hit above .290 during that one All-Star season before arriving in St. Louis. He hit .300 with 6 triples and 10 steals in 2000, then followed that with the best season of his career.

Vina hit .303/.357/.418 with 95 runs scored and a career-best 56 RBIs in 2001. On top of that, he logged 17 steals and 8 triples, and won a Gold Glove that season, something he had never done in his career before then.

Vina spent four years in St. Louis, hitting .285/.349/.384 and won two Gold Gloves for the St. Louis Cardinals. In one of those Gold Glove years, Vina produced an impressive 11.8 dWAR, and posted a positive WAR every season he was with the Cardinals. Overall, it was a brief stint, but it was one that will be well remembered by St. Louis fans.

On the other hand, the players that the Brewers received were nowhere near as productive. Alfonzo could not quite get up to major-league speed, not making his major league debut until 2006, and hit .240/.271/.377 for his career. Parker didn’t even make it to the majors.

9. August 2, 2001: St. Louis Cardinals get Williams and begin building.

Cardinals Receive: Woody Williams

Padres Receive: Ray Lankford

Not many people remember Woody Williams. Following this trade, Williams played very well for the Cardinals, going 7-1 in 11 starts and posting a clean 2.28 ERA and .973 WHIP to finish the 2001 season. He lasted for four years in St. Louis, posting a solid 45-22 record 3.53 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 588.2 innings with the Cardinals, and helped get the team to its first World Series in 17 years.

Lankford was 34 when he got traded, and his departure from St. Louis did not help him age gracefully. He lasted just three years with the Padres, one of which he sat out with a hamstring injury, and hit only .244 in the games he played. He would return to the St. Louis Cardinals following he tenure with the Padres, which only adds to the upside of this trade.

While Williams would be out of St. Louis when the Cardinals won their first title in 24 years, he certainly played an indirect part in getting them there.

8. December 14, 1998: St. Louis Cardinals land young stud Renteria.

Cardinals Receive: Edgar Renteria

Marlins Receive: Armando Almanza, Braden Looper, and Pablo Ozuna

Edgar Renteria spent the prime of his career in St. Louis, and he ended up becoming one of the best Cardinals of the time. In six seasons, Renteria was a 3-time Silver Slugger and 2-time Gold Glove winner, and made 3 All-Star teams in his 6 years with the Cardinals, batting .290/.347/.420 and racking up 148 steals.

His best season was 2003, where he hit .330/.394/.480 with 100 RBIs, 96 runs scored, and 34 stolen bases.

Almanza lasted 6 years in the Majors and struggled as a whole, and Ozuna hit .285 over 7 years, but had just 3 homers and 45 RBI’s.

Looper actually stuck, playing in the league for 11 years after the Cardinals traded him, headlined by a solid 2004 season with the Mets in which he had a 2.70 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 83.1 innings as a reliever. However, he ended his career with a mediocre 4.15 ERA.

All together, what the Cardinals gave up pales in comparison to Renteria’s contributions.

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.

6. December 15, 2007: St. Louis Cardinals lore- “We will see you…tomorrow night!”

Cardinals Receive: David Freese

Padres Receive: Jim Edmonds

Another trade that was essential in putting together a World Series run and not much else, the importance of acquiring David Freese is obvious to Cardinal fans. He stuck around for longer and did more in saving the World Series run than Weaver did, which is why this trade goes above Weaver’s.

While giving up a guy like Jim Edmonds was unfortunate, he was towards the end of his career, and a change was needed. Safe to say, it worked for the better.

Edmonds was just about ready to make his gracious leave across the horizon at 37. After posting over 30 oWAR for the all but his last two seasons with the Cardinals, it was clear that time was just about up. He played 197 games over the next three seasons, and was just a shadow of his former self both offensively and defensively.

Freese stayed with the Cardinals for two seasons after the 2011 World Series win, and spent 5 years in total with the club after being promoted to the Cardinals major league affiliate in 2009. He finished his St. Louis career with a .286/.356/.427 line with 91 homers and 455 RBI’s. A pretty good return on someone fighting Father Time.

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.

3. December 14, 2003: The St. Louis Cardinals land Waino and compliments.

Cardinals Receive: Adam Wainwright, Jason Marquis, and Ray King

Braves Receive: J.D. Drew, Eli Marrero

Adam Wainwright needs no introduction. In a little under three years from this point, he will have been celebrating striking out Brandon Inge for the Cardinals’ first World Series title in over 20 years. Soon after, he transitioned to a starting pitcher role and quickly became the ace and leader of the dugout.

Wainwright has a 3.12 ERA in 1891.2 innings pitched for St. Louis, and will go down as one of the greatest Cardinals ever.

Jason Marquis was another decent pickup in the trade, as he served as a solid 4th or 5th starter for several years in St. Louis, despite his ugly final year. King also had a decent but short tenure with St. Louis, registering a 2.91 ERA in 102 innings with the Cardinals over two seasons.

But this package didn’t come cheaply. J.D. Drew had a lot of expectations as a 1st-round pick for the Cardinals, and perhaps it was those expectations that made it difficult for him to consistently succeed in St. Louis.

He found his niche and stayed relatively healthy after this trade, and put up a spectacular season for the Braves, hitting .305/.436/.569 with 31 homers and 93 RBIs, and he drew more walks (118) than he struck out (116). He would go on to have a very respectable career, playing 14 years and finishing his career with a .278/.384/.489 line with 242 home runs and 795 RBIs.

Marrero was a solid player as well, making it a trade in which both sides benefited.

2. March 23, 2000: The St. Louis Cardinals land Jimmy Baseball.

Cardinals Receive: Jim Edmonds

Angels Receive: Adam Kennedy, Kent Bottenfield

This was the start of an era. Jim Edmonds was synonymous with Cardinal baseball for a long time, and fans like me simply love Jim Edmonds. He was the other half of the core with Scott Rolen that really made the 2004 and 2006 teams go. Like Rolen, he was both a great fielder and hitter, but Edmonds took it to a higher degree.

In his eight years as a Cardinal, Edmonds hit .285/.393./555 with 241 homers and 713 RBIs. He was an excellent fielder, winning six Gold Gloves, and he finished top-5 in MVP voting in two seasons as a result of his multi-faceted excellence.

The first season was his first year in St. Louis following this trade. He finished the 2000 season slashing .293/.411/.583 with 42 home runs, 108 RBIs, and 129 runs scored. He finished fourth in MVP voting that season behind Mike Piazza, Barry Bonds, and the winner Jeff Kent.

In 2004, Edmonds finished fifth in MVP voting after slashing .301/.418/.643 with 42 home runs and 111 RBIs. He also picked up eight stolen bases that season.

While Kennedy was a decent player, he really didn’t have the pop or the speed to make the kind of impact Edmonds did. He finished his 14-year career with a .272/.327/.384 line and had 179 steals, but when Edmonds OBP is higher than Kennedy’s SLG, its clear that Edmonds’ value is far beyond what Kennedy could hope.

Oh, and Bottenfield was just bad.

1. July 31, 1997: The McGwire robbery

Cardinals Receive: Mark McGwire

Athletics Receive: Eric Ludwick, T.J. Matthews, and Blake Stein

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All biases and thoughts on steroids aside, looking at this trade from a purely baseball perspective is just insane.

Not only did the St. Louis Cardinals receive one of the greatest sluggers to ever play, but they did it for a package that had exponentially less value to it.

It’s honestly hard to talk about this trade because it was so lopsided.

McGwire’s production in most seasons eclipsed that of the three players traded for their entire careers combined.

McGwire had 583 home runs for his career. The three guys who the St. Louis Cardinals gave up for him had 510 total games played in their careers.

Nothing more needs to be said.

Next: Either/Or series: Part 2

Am I missing a trade? Do you think one of these acquisitions is over valued? Feel free to comment below with your thoughts.