RetroSimba

(Updated Dec. 13, 2018)

The Cardinals made a bold trade in dealing outfielder J.D. Drew and it turned out to be one of their best.

On Dec. 13, 2003, St. Louis sent Drew and catcher Eli Marrero to the Braves for pitchers Jason Marquis, Ray King and Adam Wainwright.

“We felt that without pitching we weren’t going to have a chance to improve in the standings next year,” manager Tony La Russa told the Associated Press.

Said general manager Walt Jocketty: “There were a couple deals we could have done. We just felt this was the best overall for us.”

The trade helped the Cardinals improve from 85 wins and a third-place finish in 2003 to 105 wins and a first-place finish in 2004. With Marquis contributing 15 wins as a starter and King appearing in 86 games as a left-handed relief specialist, St. Louis won the pennant in 2004 for the first time in 17 years.

Marquis posted 13 or more wins in each of his three seasons with St. Louis, helping the Cardinals to the postseason each time.

King pitched in 163 games in two seasons for St. Louis.

Wainwright emerged as the Cardinals’ postseason closer in their run to the 2006 World Series championship before transforming into one of the elite starting pitchers in the National League.

When the deal was made, there was concern the Cardinals were giving up a player with superstar potential. Drew was 28, entering the prime of his career. In six years with St. Louis, he had a .282 batting average and .377 on-base percentage, but he also had been injury-prone and was eligible for free agency after the 2004 season.

“For him, it’s just about staying healthy,” La Russa told Sports Illustrated in March 2004. “We saw signs from him that made you say, ‘This kid is unbelievable.’ But teammates ultimately respect guys who go to the post the most. When something keeps happening that prevents you from going out there, they’re not very forgiving.”

Drew never became a superstar (he was named an all-star once, in 2008), but he played for winning teams at every stop in his big-league career.

While Drew’s major-league totals are solid (.278 batting average and.384 on-base percentage), he still has the look of an underachiever. Examples:

_ He never had as many as 160 hits in a season.

_ Only once did he reach triple digits in RBI (100, in 2006).

_ Only once did he hit as many as 30 home runs (31, in 2004).

_ Only once did he score as many as 100 runs (118, in 2004).

Yet Drew played for eight teams that reached the playoffs (2000, 2001, 2002 Cardinals; 2004 Braves; 2006 Dodgers; 2007, 2008, 2009 Red Sox). He hit .333 in Boston’s World Series sweep of the Rockies in 2007.