The Right Decision: Freese and Bourjos Trade

Who needs free agency when you have trades? That’s what this offseason has been so far. After a HUGE trade that sent Prince Fielder to the Rangers and Ian Kinsler to the Tigers, the Angels and the Cardinals wanted to take a dive in the talks.

3^rd baseman David Freese of the St. Louis Cardinals will be joining former teammate Albert Pujols in Anaheim, and the Cardinals receive young outfielder Peter Bourjos. Two prospects were also traded, as Fernando Salas will go to the Angels for Randal Grichuk. Grichuk is now the Cardinals’ number 11 prospect, according to MLB.com, and Salas is unranked in the Angels’ organization.

So why? Who made the right decision? David Freese put on a .262/.340/.381 batting line, which is much lower than his combined .295/.363/.457 in 2011 and 2012. Also remember when David Freese was the hero in the postseason in 2011 for the Cards? That deemed not to be the case anymore, as he batted a mere .158 in the World Series this time.

Peter Bourjos has been on and off as well. He also had an amazing year in 2011, batting .271/.327/.438 with 11 triples, 12 homers, 43 RBI’s, and a 5.1 WAR. Since then, he has not put up as good of stats, but has been a consistent defensive centerfielder.

 

This is why I think the Cardinals made the right decision. They have lots of options with the infield, as Matt Carpenter, Pete Kozma, and prospect Kolten Wong can all play 2B, SS, or 3B. As Wong matures, he will replace Carpenter at second base, and Carpenter can go to 3B. They also are losing outfielder Carlos Beltran to free agency. By getting Bourjos, they now have a new, young, and very talented outfielder to replace the veteran. 

David Freese is 30 years old, and his stats have shown some decline. Even with the good 2011 and 2012 years, he still has put up only a 6.0 WAR in five years in the big leagues. Will he always be remembered in that 2011 World Series? Yes. But the past is the past. It’s time for Freese to get a fresh start.

Sometimes players just need a new team to go with, especially changing from the NL to AL, or vice versa. However, when you look at the players over the age of 30 going to the Angels recently, and you find that their stats have significantly declines.

Peter Bourjos is younger, cheaper, and arguably a better player than Freese. Plus, they got a higher ranked prospect too add to their great farm system. Good move by the NL Champs. Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd