6 biggest moves by the St. Louis Cardinals during the Winter Meetings

St. Louis Cardinals acquire shortstop Ozzie Smith from the San Diego Padres at the 1981 Winter Meetings.

At the 1981 Winter Meetings, general manager Whitey Herzog continued his dealings to improve the Cardinals. In an effort to continue his focus on speed and defense, Herzog traded for shortstop Ozzie Smith. He also brought over right-handed pitcher Steve Mura and left-handed pitcher Al Olmsted from the San Diego Padres. In exchange, Herzog traded shortstop Garry Templeton, right fielder Sixto Lezcano, and right-handed pitcher Luis DeLeon to the Padres.

Templeton was an extremely talented switch-hitting shortstop for the Cardinals, but he repeatedly clashed with fans and manager Ken Boyer. "We needed a different kind of leader at shortstop," said Herzog of Templeton. Ozzie Smith was also at odds with ownership after feeling underpaid and underappreciated by the Padres brass. Ozzie Smith had a no-trade clause, and that delayed the trade.

The deal to send The Wizard to St. Louis for Garry Templeton was agreed upon at the 1981 Winter Meetings, but it wasn't finalized until February 1982 due to Smith's no-trade clause.

Following the trade, Ozzie Smith would go on to play for the Cardinals for 15 years. He slashed .272/.350/.344 with 433 stolen bases and nearly 2,000 hits. He won 11 Gold Gloves with St. Louis, attended 14 All-Star Games, and finished second in NL MVP voting in 1987. The Hall of Famer was also a key member of the 1982 World Series champion Cardinals. He is known as one of the greatest Cardinals in franchise history, and his defensive wizardry is recognized by fans of all ages.

On the other side of the deal, Garry Templeton found success with the Padres. He helped lead the Padres to the World Series title in 1984, but his career certainly wasn't as accomplished as Ozzie's was with the Cardinals. Templeton was a one-time All-Star whose best season in 1985 still paled in comparison to Ozzie's time in St. Louis.

While the deal wasn't finalized until February, it was agreed during the 1981 Winter Meetings in Hollywood, Florida. Therefore, this trade is certainly one of the biggest Winter Meeting deals in franchise history.