Looking at the Cardinals top January moves since 2000

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of a handful of teams who have yet to spend a single dollar on the Major League free agent market this offseason so let's take this opportunity to look back at the best January transactions the team has made since 2000.

January 2000 - 2009 transactions

Yadier Molina: January 21, 2008 - 4 year, $15.5 million arbitration extension

After four seasons of below-average offense but elite-level defense, the Cardinals awarded baby-faced 24-year-old Yadier Molina with his first Major League contract extension, buying out his remaining arbitration years and keeping him in St. Louis through at least the 2012 season.

This extension paid immediate dividends as the catcher matured into one of the team's most consistent and clutch hitters while continuing his otherworldly defense behind the dish. During the four years of his extension, Molina won a Gold Glove award each year, was named to three All-Star teams, and appeared on three MVP ballots including a fourth-place finish in 2012. Yadi's best season came in that 2012 season as the then-29-year-old put up career-highs in homers (22), RBIs (76), stolen bases (12), and OPS (.874). Defensively, Molina led the league with 88 assists and 12 double plays while also throwing out 48% of would-be base stealers and picking off five more.

Molina would parlay his career year into another big extension, signing a 5 year, $75 million contract.

Troy Glaus: January 14, 2008 - Trade with Toronto Blue Jays

Colleague Jameson McCurdy wrote a great piece summarizing the trade that sent Hall of Famer Scott Rolen to the Blue Jays in exchange for slugging third baseman Troy Glaus. His piece is well worth the read as it details the situation that led to Rolen's departure despite a great Cardinal career to that point.

Glaus' stay in St. Louis, while short, was productive during his first year. After a solid year in Toronto, Glaus took off in the middle of the Cardinals lineup to the tune of an .856 OPS and a 4.8 fWAR. While the Cardinals struggled as a team that season, Glaus' offensive output helped to take the stress off of Albert Pujols and created a formidable middle of the order along with breakout star Ryan Ludwick.

Unfortunately for both sides, Glaus suffered a shoulder injury in the 2009 season and saw his St. Louis tenure after just 14 games.

Rick Ankiel: January 10, 2007 - 1 year, $380,000 free agent

After his well-documented struggles to consistently find the strike zone, the former pitching phenom was run from the game after the 2004 season. However, Rick Ankiel made his limited at-bats as a pitcher count and showed enough offensive promise that the Cardinals took a risk and brought him back on a low-risk deal in 2007.

Ankiel spent much of the year in the minors as he was also transitioning to being a full-time outfielder. The move worked. The 27-year-old hit 32 homers with Memphis and turned that into a Major League call-up. In 47 games with the big club, Ankiel hit .285 with 11 more homers and an .863 OPS. No slouch in the outfield either, the Cardinals rewarded the lefty with additional contracts and Ankiel ended up playing a total of 11 major league seasons.

Honorable mention: So Taguchi

The list just felt incomplete if one of the most popular Cardinals of the decade wasn't included.