Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The St. Louis Cardinals made a bold move a week before the trade deadline, acquiring outfielder Matt Holliday from the Oakland Athletics.
St. Louis will also receive cash considerations in the deal and will send third baseman Brett Wallace, pitcher Clayton Mortensen and outfielder Shane Peterson to the Athletics in exchange for the pending free agent.
Holliday was leading the Athletics with 54 runs batted in and is batting .293 with 11 homers in 94 games. He is 16-for-36 with three homers and 12 RBI in nine games since the All-Star break.
In his first game in a St. Louis uniform, he was the Cardinals' most potent offensive threat, going 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in the team's 8-1 win over Philadelphia.
"Matt is an impact player who gives us an instant added threat in the middle of our lineup," said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak in a release. "These types of opportunities are rare. The price to complete this deal was steep, but our organization feels that it should greatly improve our chances to compete for a postseason berth. I want to thank both ownership and our scouting and player development staffs for enabling us to be in position to bring a player with the credentials of Matt Holliday to the St. Louis Cardinals."
The 29-year-old Holliday was in his first season with the Athletics, who acquired him from Colorado last November in a deal that sent Huston Street to the Rockies.
"I'm extremely excited," said Holliday. "I feel very blessed to be back in a pennant race, on a great team, a great organization."
A three-time NL All-Star, Holliday has a career average of .316 with 139 homers and 538 RBI in six big league seasons. He was the NL MVP runner-up to Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins in 2007 after leading the Rockies to the World Series with a .340 average, 36 homers and 137 RBI -- all career bests.
The move now gives the Cardinals another deep threat. First baseman Albert Pujols headed into Friday night's game at Philadelphia already leading the majors with 34 home runs.
"He's the greatest player in the game," Holliday said of Pujols. "I enjoy watching him play and now I get a chance to play with him and be able to watch him every day. I'm excited about the opportunity. I'm anxious to learn and be around him."
Eligible to become a free agent at the end of the 2009 season, Colorado had reportedly offered Holliday $68 million guaranteed over four years before making the trade.
Wallace, the top prospect involved in the deal, was the Cardinals' first-round pick in 2008 and has already reached the Triple-A level. He was hitting .293 in 62 games with Memphis after starting the season in Double-A ball.
Mortensen, a 24-year-old right-hander, was 7-6 with a 4.37 earned run average in 17 starts at Memphis.
Peterson, 21, was hitting .284 in 18 games at Double-A Springfield after starting the season in the Florida State League.