The end of an era

It's been a sad few days as a Cardinals fan to say goodbye to Chris Carpenter and David Freese, two of my favorite players from this era of Cardinals baseball.

It will be nigh impossible to replace Chris Carpenter and the career he had in St. Louis, despite the number of injuries he had to battle throughout his time here. Through his 11 years in Cardinal red, he only pitched full seasons in six of them, but when he did pitch there wasn't anyone else you'd rather have on the mound. Two world series championships are in the history books because of Carp, with another two world series appearances in part due to Carpenter's regular season pitching or clubhouse mentoring. Although he may not have the years/numbers to make the hall of fame, I'd strongly consider retiring Carpenter's 29 or at least not giving it out for many many years.

As for Freese, I still remember the blog post I wrote decrying the departure of another favorite, Jim Edmonds, who went to San Diego in return for the then-prospect Freese. As a typical sentiment and nostalgia-driven fan who didn't want to say goodbye to any of the aging stars who had done so much for the Redbirds, I wasn't sure I liked what new GM John Mozeliak was doing with the team.

Looking back, it turned out to be one of the best trades in St. Louis baseball history. Jim Edmonds would never really be healthy again in a full-time role. Meanwhile, Freese put up five seasons of solid numbers with the Cardinals (when he wasn't hurt) as their starting third baseman, highlighted by one of the greatest postseasons in baseball history -- the 2011 World Series numbers Freese put up were simply unreal. Nobody can ever take away that magical hit Freese struck against Texas, juuust beyond the reach of Nelson Cruz, and the image of Freese bouncing his helmet between his legs on the walk-off homer in the 11th will forever be a cherished memory for me.

All this being said, I have to give props to Mozeliak for turning an aging Jim Edmonds into the prime of Freese's career, into now the primes of two more young outfielders who will hopefully leave their mark as memorable players in STL baseball history. I've always liked Bourjos, and I'm surprised Mozeliak was able to pick-up another former first round pick in Grichuk too. Seems like a good deal for a pedestrian middle reliever and a 30-year old third baseman with a history of injury problems. If either Bourjos or Grichuk live up to their potential, this deal will easily be a win for the Cardinals.

Goodbye, Freese Frame and Master Craftsmanship. Your special times wearing the birds on the bat will live on in the form of legend.