The Los Angels Angels have reportedly agreed to trade outfielder Peter Bourjos to the St. Louis Cardinals in a deal that involves third baseman David Freese, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
The 26-year-old Bourjos was one of the better center fielders in the league last year, despite appearing in only 55 games. The Angels will now likely use Mike Trout, also one of the games best gloves, in center field full time. It appears unlikely that the Cardinals will bring back Carlos Beltran, who is a free agent and has been drawing interest from teams with deep pockets like the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Bourjos gives them outfield depth.
Freese had a down year with St. Louis last season, but he hit .293 with 20 home runs and 70 RBI in 2012. He also established himself as one of the greatest clutch hitters in baseball during his magical World Series MVP run in 2011.
Prospects are also reportedly involved in the Freese-Bourjos deal.
Earlier this month, a report indicated that the Yankees could be interested in trading for Freese as an insurance policy with Alex Rodriguez’s status unknown. The Bourjos-Freese trade is the second significant MLB trade of the week, with the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers having swapped Prince Fielder and Ian Kinsler on Wednesday.
