ANGELS GET 3B FREESE FROM ST. LOUIS
The Los Angeles Angels acquired third baseman David Freese and pitcher Fernando Salas from the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielders Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk.
What does it give the Los Angeles Angels
The Angels had a massive hole at the hot corner, so adding Freese here is a major boost. He is also familiar with {P Albert Pujols} from their time together with the Cardinals, so he should fit in well with the Halos. The Angels also land a solid reliever in Salas, who could wind up pitching in a setup role in Los Angeles. With Bourjos gone, uber-talented outfielder {P Mike Trout} will probably return to center field on a full-time basis in 2014.
What does it give the St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals land a terrific defensive outfielder in Bourjos, who might take over the starting job in center field from {P Jon Jay}. Or, they might wind up in a platoon or time-sharing situation. Either way, St. Louis has improved its defense here. With Freese gone, look for {P Matt Carpenter} to move from second to third base, allowing {P Kolten Wong} to take over at the keystone position. Grichuk is a quality outfield prospect who has a future.
Fantasy impact
This deal could help Freese if he is able to make the necessary adjustments in the American League. Pujols struggled early on in the AL, too, so Freese may do the same for a while. Bourjos should play more in St. Louis as long as he shows improvement as a hitter, since he's a terrific defender. He has some sleeper appeal going into 2014. Salas is a reliever to keep an eye on as a potential dark horse, while Grichuk is keeper-league material (though his path in St. Louis may be blocked by top prospect {P Oscar Taveras}).
