Cardinals Trade David Freese to Los Angeles

The St. Louis Cardinals have traded former World Series MVP David Freese to the Los Angeles Angels in a four-player deal.

The Cardinals also sent reliever Fernando Salas to the Angels on Friday in exchange for outfielder Peter Bourjos and prospect Randal Grichuk.

The 30-year-old Freese was the MVP of the 2011 NLCS and the World Series, setting a major-league record with 21 postseason RBIs. He injured his back chasing a foul ball into the stands during spring training and never hit his stride last season.

He batted .262 with nine homers and 60 RBIs, drop-offs from 2012 when he hit 20 homers with 79 RBIs and batted .293.

The 26-year-old Bourjos is a career .251 hitter with speed, stealing 41 bases in 54 attempts. The 22-year-old Grichuk was an Angels first-round draft pick in 2009 and starred at Double-A Arkansas last season.