Flashback to 2009, when the St. Louis Cardinals were desperate to maneuver out of a two-year playoff drought. As July’s division races between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds began to intensify, the Cardinals took a gamble by acquiring struggling outfielder Matt Holliday from the Oakland Athletics for prospects Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortenson and Shane Peterson.
Holliday would go on to finish the 2009 season as one of St. Louis’s largest offensive contributors, compiling a .353 batting average with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs in less than half a season with the Cardinals.