The Angels and St. Louis Cardinals exchanged players with something to prove.
Peter Bourjos, a defensive whiz whose offensive potential has been muffled by injuries, went to the Cardinals on Friday for David Freese, a former World Series MVP who endured a rough season in 2013.
“To be honest, I have a huge chip on my shoulder,” Freese said. “Whether I was a Cardinal or an Angel didn’t matter. This whole winter I’ve been extremely focused to head to spring training.”
In Freese, the Angels picked up their everyday third baseman for 2014. In Bourjos, they gave up a player who had slipped behind Kole Calhoun on the depth chart and out of the everyday lineup.
The trade also included Angels outfield prospect Randal Grichuk going to St. Louis and right-handed reliever Fernando Salas coming to the Angels.
Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto made the deal because the club had a void at third base. Chris Nelson and Luis Jimenez were the most likely players to man the position in 2014. Last year – even with four months of Alberto Callaspo at the position – the Angels had a .637 OPS among their third baseman, fourth worst in the majors.
Freese had a .721 OPS last year, including a .262 average and nine homers. The MVP of the 2011 World Series, Freese had hit .293 with 20 homers and an .839 OPS in 2012.
“We feel like we are getting one of the most productive third-base bats in baseball the last three years, who has done it on the big stage, and fits our team very well,” Dipoto said.
Dipoto added Freese “knows how to drive in the important runs, and that’s something that fits in our lineup.”
Freese, 30, was bothered by a back issue last season, but he said he’s feeling 100 percent now.
Freese is a second-year arbitration-eligible player who is likely to make just over $4 million next season. He is not eligible for free agency until after 2015.
In order to get a solution at third base, the Angels parted with a player who just a year ago was such a big part of their plans they moved Mike Trout to left field to create a spot for him.
Bourjos, 26, is one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball, and his .765 OPS in 2011 gave reason to believe he’d hit, too. Over the past two years, though, injuries have limited him and he’s posted a .659 OPS.
While Bourjos was hurt for much of the second half last season, Calhoun emerged, hitting .282 with eight homers and an .808 OPS in the final two months playing almost every day in right field. That, and the play of J.B. Shuck, convinced the Angels that Bourjos didn’t fit in the starting lineup.
“The way Kole finished last year and sunk his teeth in and Mike Trout being a pretty good alternative in center field and Josh Hamilton going to his natural position in left field, this is the logical solution for us,” Dipoto said.
Dipoto said the loaded major league outfield, as well as the emergence of minor leaguer Zack Borenstein – the MVP of the Class-A California League – made Grichuk expendable.
Grichuk, 22, who was recently added to the 40-man roster, hit .256 with 22 homers at Double-A this season.
The Angels also acquired Salas, 28, a right-hander who has a 3.42 ERA in parts of four major league seasons. He had a 2.28 ERA and 24 saves for the Cardinals’ World Series winning team in 2011. Salas is arbitration eligible.
Meanwhile, the Angels are also looking to bolster their bullpen by shopping toward the top of the setup man market. They are focused on right-handers Joaquin Benoit, J.P. Howell, Edward Mujica and Joe Smith. Benoit and Mujica both spent time as closers last season, but the Angels would not be signing either to displace Ernesto Frieri in the ninth inning.
Contact the writer: jlfletcher@ocregister.com
