RetroSimba

(Updated July 5, 2020)

To many, Jeff Weaver looked like a washed-up pitcher when he was with the 2006 Angels. To the Cardinals, Weaver looked like the answer to a need.

On July 5, 2006, the Cardinals got Weaver from the Angels for minor-league outfielder Terry Evans. The Angels also paid $2.5 million of the remaining $4 million owed Weaver on his 2006 contract, the Los Angeles Times reported.

After a shaky start to his Cardinals career, Weaver became an effective starter in the 2006 postseason and was integral to St. Louis winning a World Series championship.

“Without him, we don’t win,” Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds told Fox Sports Midwest.

Available assets

Entering the majors in 1999, Weaver pitched for the Tigers, Yankees and Dodgers before becoming a free agent and joining the 2006 Angels. He had 13 wins with the 2004 Dodgers and 14 wins with the 2005 Dodgers.

With the 2006 Angels, Weaver was 3-10 with a 6.29 ERA in 16 starts. Opponents hit .309 against him. His younger brother, rookie Jered Weaver, replaced him in the Angels’ rotation.

The Cardinals, looking to replace Sidney Ponson in their rotation, had dispatched two scouts to evaluate Jeff Weaver. Dave Duncan, the Cardinals’ pitching coach, watched video of the Angels’ right-hander and determined he could help the club.

On June 30, 2006, Weaver, 29, was designated for assignment by the Angels, meaning he needed to be traded or released. The Cardinals were one of eight teams to make the Angels an offer for him.

“We’ve seen the guy pitch a few times … and still feel he has the assets he’s had in the past,” Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Maybe he hasn’t been using them as best he could be.

“One of the scouts who saw him thought he was using his breaking ball too much and wasn’t using his fastball. He’s got a pretty good fastball and there might be a chance we can make a change that makes him better.”

In an interview with Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch, Weaver said, “Maybe I was throwing too many strikes. I was getting hurt quite a bit on 0-and-2 pitches. I could probably do a better job of expanding the strike zone.”

Championship caliber

Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz liked the acquisition. “Dave Duncan’s overall success rate with fading veterans is superb,” Miklasz wrote. “That’s why we expect to see Jeff Weaver improve in St. Louis.”

In a 2016 interview with Dan McLaughlin of Fox Sports Midwest, Weaver recalled when he arrived in St. Louis he met with Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who told him, “We just want you to go out there and compete.”

Said Weaver: “I knew how to do that.”

Weaver’s first Cardinals appearance was a start against the Braves at St. Louis on July 17, 2006. He didn’t impress. In four innings, Weaver yielded six runs, including a Brian McCann grand slam, and took the loss. Boxscore

“It took a little while to get in a groove,” Weaver said.

Weaver made 15 regular-season starts for the 2006 Cardinals and was 5-4 with a 5.18 ERA. However, he won his last three decisions, including a Sept. 29 triumph against the Brewers that extended the Cardinals’ lead over the second-place Astros from a half-game to 1.5 games with two to play. Boxscore

Noting that Weaver had been “all but left on the shoulder of a Southern California freeway by the Angels,” Miklasz wrote of the gritty win over the Brewers, “The quality of Weaver’s determination was superior to the numbers on his final pitching line. He deserved the standing ovation that came his way as he departed the mound. In this critical final month, Weaver is 3-1 with a 4.15 ERA. He’s no longer a junker.”

Said La Russa after that game: “Weaver was outstanding. The way he competed, you could see him working hard to get the outs. That’s one of the reasons why we like him. He’s a terrific competitor. He really did a good job for us. He did exactly what we needed.”

Weaver carried that effort into the 2006 postseason. He was 1-0 vs. the Padres in the National League Division Series and 1-1 against the Mets in the NL Championship Series.

In the World Series, Weaver got the clinching win in Game 5, holding the Tigers to two runs in eight innings and striking out nine.

After that, Weaver became a free agent and signed with the Mariners.