5 best moves made by the late St. Louis Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty

2. Trading for outfielder Jim Edmonds (2000)

The Anaheim Angels traded Jim Edmonds to the St. Louis Cardinals on March 23rd for pitcher Ken Bottenfield and top prospect Adam Kennedy. Edmonds was one year away from free agency at the time, and Anaheim was growing weary of Edmonds' injury history and sometimes off-putting personality.

Edmonds was the first piece of a puzzle that would bring immense success to St. Louis. He was the first player of the MV3 to play for the Cardinals. Edmonds' first season in St. Louis couldn't have gone much better. He slashed .295/.411/.583 with 42 home runs and 1084 runs batted in. He brought home a Gold Glove, he was an All-Star, and he finished fourth in National League Most Valuable Player voting that year.

Edmonds finished his Cardinal career with a .285/.393/.55 slash line, six Gold Gloves, and three All-Star appearances. He was an essential contributor to the club's 2006 championship season, and he was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014 as a part of the fan vote.

Jocketty saw the opportunity to trade for one of the best outfielders in the game, and he jumped on it. “We had no intention of trading a starting pitcher,” Jocketty said. “This came up, and when you get an opportunity to get a guy of Edmonds’ stature, you can’t pass it up.”

“As we looked at our club, we needed another bat and we also got a Gold Glove center fielder,” said Walt Jocketty of the trade. “I’ve talked to several American League general managers in the last few days and they felt he was probably one of the best one or two center fielders in the entire league.”

Edmonds was eventually traded to the San Diego Padres for a little-known prospect by the name of David Freese. That man would go down in Cardinals lore just three years after being acquired.