Angels acquire Freese from Cardinals

St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - The St. Louis Cardinals have traded third baseman David Freese and relief pitcher Fernando Salas to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for outfielders Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk.

The deal fills a void for both teams. The Angels were looking for a third baseman who could provide some power, while the Cardinals needed some help at the top of the lineup and they get that with Bourjos.

Bourjos played in 55 games with the Angels in 2013, hitting .274 with three homers, 26 runs scored, 12 RBI and a .333 on-base percentage.

The 26-year-old is a career .251 batter with 24 home runs, 18 triples and 89 RBI in 354 games. He has stolen 41 bases in 54 attempts, including a career- high 22 in 2011. The right-handed hitting Bourjos is considered to be a Gold Glove caliber defender, having made just seven errors in over 2,500 innings played.

Freese played in 138 games for the Cardinals in 2013, posting a .262 average with nine homers and 60 RBI. The year before, he hit 20 homers, drove in 79 runs and hit .293.

He was the 2011 World Series MVP for the Cardinals.

"We are excited to be adding the outfield defense and speed that Bourjos provides and Grichuk is a top prospect who will be in the mix with some of our other top position players such as Oscar Taveras and Stephen Piscotty," said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak. "We wish both David and Fernando the best and thank them for their contributions -- especially the many memorable moments they provided during the 2011 Championship season."

Grichuk, 22, spent the 2013 season playing for the Double-A Arkansas affiliate of the Angels. In 128 games, he picked up 57 extra-base hits, including 27 doubles and 22 home runs. His 22 homers led the team and ranked sixth in the Texas League.

Salas has appeared in 187 games over parts of four seasons with the Cardinals. The righty has a career 6-13 mark with a 3.42 ERA. In 2013, he went 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 27 appearances.