St. Louis Cardinals David Freese celebrates with his teammates at home place after hitting a solo walk off homerun to win game 6 of the World Seriesagainst the Texas Rangers in St. Louis on October 27, 2011. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com is reporting that the Cardinals will send 2011 World Series MVP David Freese and relief pitcher Fernando Salas to the L.A. Angels in return for center fielder Peter Bourjos and outfield prospect Randal Grichuk.
The trade will mean Matt Carpenter will move to third base and prospect Kolten Wong will take over second base duties. With Bourjos coming over from L.A., does that leave Jon Jay out of the picture?
Freese hit .262 with nine homers in 138 games this year. Bourjos is a career .251 hitter. Grichuk was the Angels’ first-round pick in 2009. Bourjos is considered a top defensive center fielder.
On a teleconference, Freese said he’s said to be closing this chapter of his baseball career in his hometown, but at the same time is excited about the opportunities that await with the Angels.
AUDIO Freese talks about the trade (:46)