Cardinals & Angels announce four-player trade

ST. LOUIS, MO., November 22, 2013 - St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have completed a four-player trade with the Los Angeles Angels, acquiring outfielders Peter Bourjos (pronounced BORE-jus) and Randal Grichuk in exchange for third baseman David Freese and pitcher Fernando Salas.

"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 Senior V.P./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."

Bourjos, 26, 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.

The 6-1, 185-pound native of Scottsdale, Ari., ranked among American League leaders in triples (11-T1st), bunt hits (17-2nd) and infield hits (38-4th) during the 2011 season. He also posted league-leading triple totals in both 2009 (14, Texas League-AA) and 2010 (12, Pacific Coast League-AAA).

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 6th in the Texas League. Grichuk batted from the leadoff position in the majority of his games at Double-A, and committed just two errors playing both center and right field for the Travelers.  

The 6-1, 195-pound Grichuk was drafted in the 1st round (24th player overall) by the Angels in 2009, one pick ahead of Mike Trout. The right-handed hitting outfielder hails from Rosenberg, Texas. He owns a career .284 batting average with 61 home runs and 259 RBI in 433 games in the minors.