St. Louis Cardinals: 5 trades which built the bridge to their 105-win 2004 season

Trade 2. Jimmy Ball Game takes over Centerfield.

After Ray Lankford's knee surgery following the 1998 season, the Cardinals were in the market for a new everyday centerfielder. The J.D. Drew experiment as a centerfielder in 1999 didn't satisfy the front office, so the Cardinals went to the trade market.

On March 23, 2000, the Cardinals made their move when they traded second baseman Adam Kennedy and pitcher Kent Bottenfield to the Angels for Jim Edmonds.

Edmonds made his impact felt immediately in 2000 by slugging 42 HR and knocking in 108 RBIs. He also hit a slash line of .295/.411/.593 with a 147 OPS+ and earned a Gold Glove during his inaugural Cardinal season.

Edmonds continued to be an offensive and defensive standout for the Cardinals during the next five seasons, earning five more Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger Award.

However, it was 2004 that was the pinnacle of his career, and Edmonds' impact was immeasurable. During that season, Edmonds was part of the "MV3", along with Scott Rolen and Albert Pujols. Edmonds' left-handed bat launched 42 HR, 111 RBIs, and hit a slash line of .301/.418/.643 with an OPS+ of 1.061 Additionally, he won his 7th Gold Glove and his only Silver Slugger Award.

The most defining moment of his career in St. Louis came during the 2004 NLCS against the Houston Astros when he hit a 12th-inning home run to win Game 6.

Edmonds continued to play well the next two seasons, but injuries began to affect his career. The California native was traded after the 2007 season to the San Diego Padres for David Freese.

During Jim Edmonds' 8 years as a Cardinal, he hit a slash line of .285/.393/.555 with a 143 OPS+ and a 37.9 WAR. He was one of baseball's premiere centerfielders during his career, and is arguably, one of the best centerfielders in the history of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jim Edmonds was admitted to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.

Trade 3. Adding the final piece of the "MV3".

The final piece of the 2004 "MV3" was added on July 29. 2002 when the Cardinals traded Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith to the Philadelphia Phillies for Doug Nickle and future Baseball Hall of Famer, Scott Rolen.

The Cardinals felt Rolen's presence immediately when he arrived in St. Louis in 2002. In 55 games he hit 14 HR, and 44 RBIs, along with a .915 OPS and a 139 OPS+. He also earned his 4th career Gold Glove and his first Silver Slugger Award.

However, it was in 2004 that was Rolen's best season of his career. Rolen and his right-handed bat had career best in HR(34), RBI(124), OBP(.409), SLG(.598), OPS(1.007), OPS+(158), and WAR(9.2). Additionally, he earned his 6th Gold Glove, was selected for his 3rd All-Star appearance, and finished fourth in the NL MVP.

The Jasper, Indiana native's 2004 was capped by a two-run homer in the sixth inning of Game 7 of the NLCS against Roger Clemens of the Astros, which helped the Cardinals win the National League Pennant.

After 2004, Rolen had one more stellar season in St. Louis, when in 2006, he helped lead the Cardinals to their 17th NL Pennant and 10th World Series Championship.

During that Championship season, Rolen hit 22 HR and had 95 RBI. He also had a slash line of .296/.369/.518, a 126 OPS+. and earned his 7th Gold Glove. Additionally, during the World Series against the Detroit Tigers, he hit a slash line of .421/.426/..737 in 5 games.

Rolen had one more injury-plagued season in St. Louis, before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays after the 2007 season. During his six years in St. Louis, the 6-4 245lb third baseman had a slash line of .286/.370/.510, a 127 OPS+, with a 25.9 WAR. Furthermore, he earned four Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger Award, and made four All-Star Appearances,

Scott Rolen is a member of the St, Louis Cardinal Hall of Fame, and will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer.

Trade 4. The Adam Wainwright Trade

Okay, I know. Adam Wainwright was still in the minors during the 2004 season. and had no impact on that 105-win season. Still, the trade had a substantial impact on the 2004 season.

How? It's who the Cardinals got along with Waino in that December 2003 trade. For J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero. the Cardinals not only got Wainwright but also pitchers Jason Marquis and Ray King. Both of whom had career years in 2004.

Jason Marquis was a right-hander with a devastating sinker. The Cardinals put him in the rotation which included Chris Carpenter, Woody Williams, Matt Morris, and Jeff Suppan.

Marquis put together a strong season which included an 11-game winning streak, and a shutout streak of 18 1/3 innings. He finished the season with a 15-9 record and a 3.71 ERA. Additionally, he had 138 strikeouts and pitched 201 innings. The New York native was 2nd in the NL in ground ball/fly ball ratio(2.17) and held batters to a .198 batting average with runners in scoring position.

Ray King was part of an effective left-handed tag team with Steve Kline, who came out of the bullpen in 2004. King was an important part of a productive Cardinal bullpen, which also included Jason Isringhausen, Cal Eldred, Julian Tavarez, and Kiko Calero.

The Tennessee native led the Cardinal bullpen in appearances (86). had a 2.61 ERA, built a 30-game scoreless streak from May to July, and had a 2.34 ERA in 14 appearances during the 2004 postseason.

Of course, this trade had ramifications also in 2006, when Wainwright made the Opening Day roster. As a member of the Cardinal bullpen, Waino eventually replaced an injured Jason Isringhausen and closed out the 2006 World Series.

Trade 5: Icing on the Cake

On August 6th, 2004, Walt Jocketty made a trade that strengthen an already potent St. Louis Cardinal roster. The Cardinals sent minor league pitchers Jason Burch, Chris Narveson, and Luis Martinez for multiple Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award winner Larry Walker.

The right fielder and his left-handed bat made an immediate impact on the Cardinal lineup. In just 44 games, Walker hit 11 HR, had 27 RBIs, and produced a slash line of .280/.393/.560 with a 144 OPS+.

However, it was in the 2004 postseason that Walker made his footprint as a Cardinal. In fact, the Canadian native had one of the best postseasons in St. Louis Cardinal history.

In three playoff rounds, Walker melded a slash line of .293/.279/.707 with a pair of home runs in each round. Walker's postseason, set a franchise record for home runs by a left-handed hitter in one postseason.

Larry Walker was one of the few bright spots in the 2004 World Series against the Boston Red Sox. Walker hit .357, with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 3 RBIs, and had an OPS of 1.366.

Walker spent one more productive season in St. Louis by helping the Cardinals win 100 games and the 2005 NL Central championship. After that season, Walker announced his retirement.