Cardinals history: St. Louis trades World Series hero to Angels

Ask any St. Louis Cardinals fan what his or her favorite postseason moment in franchise history is, and you'll be certain to hear several fans bring up David Freese's heroics during the 2011 World Series.

The hometown hero helped power the Cardinals to a wild Game 6 comeback in 2011 against the Texas Rangers. Thanks to a two-run triple in the bottom of the ninth inning against Neftali Feliz, the game was extended. Two innings later, Freese would come up to bat with a chance to walk the game off against the Rangers. He delivered a deep fly to center field with an iconic helmet toss between his legs that is ingrained in every fan's memories to this day.

The Cardinals made the World Series once again in 2013 with David Freese at the hot corner. This time, though, he couldn't save the team with his heroics. The club would lose in six games to the Boston Red Sox.

On November 22nd, 2013, the St. Louis Cardinals traded World Series hero David Freese to the Los Angeles Angels for Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk.

Freese was coming off a difficult 2013 season with the Cardinals. After posting a .839 OPS with 20 home runs en route to an All-Star appearance in 2012, the third baseman hit just .262 with a .721 OPS and just nine home runs in 2013. Not only did Freese struggle at the plate, but his defense was also starting to falter at the hot corner. He committed 18 errors in 2012 with a .949 fielding percentage along with 11 errors and a .957 fielding percentage in 2013.

Freese was also becoming costly for the Cardinals. After making $3.15 million in 2012 via arbitration, Freese was due to see a pay increase to $4.4 million in 2014. By trading Freese, the Cardinals were able to free up financial space. They would eventually sign shortstop Jhonny Peralta to a four-year, $53 million deal. They also signed second baseman Mark Ellis to a one-year deal worth $5.25 million. Lastly, infielder Aledmys Diaz and the Cardinals agreed to a four-year, $8 million deal. Trading Freese opened up some additional payroll space for these veteran additions.

The primary reason for trading David Freese was to provide playing time for youngsters like Matt Carpenter and Kolten Wong. Carpenter could now move off of second base, a place where he struggled defensively, to third base, a position he fared slightly better at. Matt Carpenter was coming off of a 2013 season that saw him hit .318 with a .873 OPS. He led all of the majors in runs scored (126), hits (199), and doubles (55).

Meanwhile, Kolten Wong hit .303 at Triple-A Memphis with elite defensive projections. Moving Carpenter to third base and letting Kolten Wong take over at the keystone position was the most beneficial alignment for the Cardinals. This squeezed David Freese, who was set to make more money in arbitration, off the roster.

The Cardinals received outfielders Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk from the Los Angeles Angels in return. Bourjos made only 294 plate appearances for the Cardinals in 2014, and he was used mostly as a defensive replacement late in games. Grichuk made his debut in 2014, and he would play for the Cardinals for four years, posting a .785 OPS across 404 games.

Seeing a hometown and World Series hero depart via trade was difficult for Cardinals fans at the time. David Freese helped bring a trophy to St. Louis. He will be enshrined into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame someday. His time in St. Louis was memorable, but it had to end at some point.