The first big domino of the offseason fell on Wednesday, when the Tigers and Rangers completed their Fielder-for-Kinsler swap. Friday brought more player movement as the hot stove season officially got underway. The biggest move of the day was the trade between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels, in which outfielder Peter Bourjos and prospect Randal Grichuk went to St. Louis in exchange for third baseman David Freese and reliever Fernando Salas.
David Freese-Peter Bourjos trade roundup: Good for Cardinals, mixed reviews for Angels
What does the internet think about the trade of Peter Bourjos for David Freese?
There’s no way to know for certain how this deal will play out for both teams, but that doesn’t mean that everyone won’t offer their opinions on the matter. Thanks to the glory of Twitter, we can easily round up those opinions! The general consensus is that this trade is a big win for the Cardinals, and anywhere from perplexing to shrewd on the part of the Angels.
Good for everybody!
Peter Bourjos will flourish for #STLCards and fans will love him. Great talent, better guy. Freese fills big need for #Angels. Fair swap.
— Lyle Spencer (@LyleMSpencer) November 22, 2013 Good for the Cardinals
Call that deal a pretty big win for the Cardinals. A 3B whose just a guy and a fringe reliever for a talented CF & a fair prospect.
— Steven Goldman (@GoStevenGoldman) November 22, 2013 Can’t wait to see the young third baseman the Cardinals trade Peter Bourjos for in 10 years.
— viva el birdos (@vivaelbirdos) November 22, 2013 Carpenter to third, Wong to second, Bourjos to center. #Cardinals just improved defensively at three positions.
— David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield) November 22, 2013 Cardinals just got better at CF, 2B, 3B with this one trade. Also, reduced payroll by a few million and added a decent OF prospect
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) November 22, 2013 Good for the Angels
Mike Trout now takes over CF for the next decade for the Angels…the position he belongs
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) November 22, 2013 #Angels third basemen ranked 27th in MLB with a .637 OPS. They also hit 8 HRs. Only #marlins, with 3, had fewer from 3B.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) November 22, 2013 Even if David Freese fails to return to All-Star form, he's an upgrade over #angels 2013 third base contingent.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) November 22, 2013 This is why trading for Freese @ $4.5M isnt worst idea in the world RT @mlbtraderumors Jhonny Peralta Seeking $56-75M http://t.co/tMA519opKK
— Mike Axisa (@mikeaxisa) November 22, 2013 Bad for the Cardinals
Hype around Bourjos reminds me of Franklin Gutierrez a few years back. Two great defenders who are hurt a lot.
— Matt Meyers (@mtmeyers) November 22, 2013 Bad for the Angels
Kinda weird the Angels used their best trade chip and didn't even get an SP.
— Mike Axisa (@mikeaxisa) November 22, 2013 I'd say today does bring some good news for Mariners fans, since the Angels still don't know what they're doing.
— David Cameron (@DCameronFG) November 22, 2013 No money and few trade chips, says Baseball America editor. MT @johnmanuelba: Hard to remember a farm system in worse shape than #Angels.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) November 22, 2013 Simply stating facts
#STLCards deal likely means carpenter will play 3b & wong 2b. bourjos & jay give them righty & lefty cf options.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) November 22, 2013 Theoretical Situation Wild Card!
If the Cardinals had traded Freese at the peak of his value, during Game 7, they probably could have gotten Trout. Big missed opportunity.
— viva el birdos (@vivaelbirdos) November 22, 2013 Keith Law also weighed in on the trade on ESPN Insider. He likes the deal for both teams:
The Cardinals appear to get more value here, with the extra year of Bourjos and a fringy prospect coming to them, but the market for Bourjos, whom the Angels have been shopping for pitching, was very limited, as most scouts feel like he’s an 80-grade defender who can’t hit and thus will find it hard to stay in a lineup.
--snip--
There is so little out there at third base, however, that Freese’s shift doesn’t change much -- and it was unlikely the Angels would have found a better option, even if they didn’t get great value for Bourjos here.
And finally, two scouting reports for prospect Randal Grichuk, who was listed as the Angels’ 6th best prospect heading into 2013 by Baseball America: One from John SIckels of Minor League Ball (B- prospect in Aug. 2012), and one from Garrett Wilson of Monkey With A Halo (Feb. 2013). Grichuk profiles as a solid hitter with good power and a decent defender with a good arm.
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