ST. LOUIS -- Former World Series MVP David Freese was traded by his hometown St. Louis Cardinals to the Los Angeles Angels in a four-player deal Friday that reunites Albert Pujols with a pair of ex-teammates. In a conference call with media, Freese said he got a welcoming text from Pujols and responded with a reference to the 2011 World Series: "Remember what we did the last time we played together? Lets go try to do that again." Freese didnt think his drop-off in production last season had anything to do with the pressure of being the "hometown kid." "Obviously, Im a little sad closing this chapter, but Im extremely pumped about joining the Angels," Freese said. "If it was going to go down, I wanted it to happen on a team like the Angels." St. Louis obtained a new starting centre fielder in Peter Bourjos, plus outfield prospect Randal Grichuk. The Cardinals also sent reliever Fernando Salas to the Angels. "Overall, we just felt this was a very compelling deal to make," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. Freeses departure did not come as a surprise. "I definitely would look myself in the mirror and say, Where am I going to be in March?" Freese said. "I was ready to go anywhere. Im excited to get this going." The 30-year-old was the MVP of the 2011 NL championship series and the World Series, setting a major league record with 21 post-season RBIs and hitting a game-ending, 11th-inning home run in Game 6. Freese injured his back chasing a foul ball into the stands during spring training this year and never hit stride. He hit only .179 in this years post-season, going 3-for-19 (.158) with no RBIs in the six-game loss to Boston in the World Series. "David, growing up in St. Louis, this could not have been the easiest place to play," Mozeliak said. "I do think he may be looking forward to a fresh start. This was not an easy year for him." Freese batted .262 with nine homers and 60 RBIs, a letdown from career bests of 20 homers, 79 RBIs and a .293 average the previous year. Freese made $3.15 million and is eligible for salary arbitration. "He knows how to drive in the important runs," Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "Thats something that really fits in our lineup." The Angels were a match because they need a third baseman and Freese didnt figure as the long-term solution at third for St. Louis. The Cardinals will move second baseman Matt Carpenter to third, opening a position for former top draft pick Kolten Wong. Wong batted just .153 in 32 games last fall and was picked off first base to end Game 4 of the World Series against the Red Sox. Mozeliak said that was just a "snapshot" of Wong, who batted .303 with 20 steals in 21 chances at Triple-A Memphis. "It gives Wong a clear shot," Mozeliak said. "I think hes going to hit." Pujols also played on the 2011 title team before signing a $240 million, 10-year deal with the Angels. Bourjos said Pujols called him just before the start of a teleconference with St. Louis media and Bourjos planned to call back later, adding, "Im going to pick his brain a little bit more, but I cant wait." The trade adds about $4 million to the payroll of the Angels, who have yet to add starting pitching. Jason Vargas left this week for a $32 million, four-year contract with Kansas City. The Angels havent had an accomplished third baseman since Chone Figgins left after the 2009 -- their last post-season appearance. Their outfield next season is likely to be Josh Hamiliton in left, Trout in centre and Kole Calhoun in right. Coming off their second World Series appearance in three years, the Cardinals have shed more than $45 million in payroll with Chris Carpenter, Carlos Beltran, Jake Westbrook, Rafael Furcal and Edward Mujica also off the books. The 28-year-old Salas had 24 saves in 2011, but did not have a major role in the bullpen the last two years and spent part of 2013 in the minors. He was 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 27 games last year. The 26-year-old Bourjos, who bumps Jon Jay to the bench, was supposed to be the Angels everyday centre fielder last year after Los Angeles allowed Torii Hunter to leave and traded Kendrys Morales. Trout was moved to left to accommodate Bourjos, who is a better fielder. "We did juggle some things around to make sure he got an opportunity, and it didnt play out the way we hoped or the way he hoped," Dipoto said. Bourjos missed May with a hamstring strain, then broke his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch in Houston on June 29. He played just 55 games, said he was "getting real close" to full strength. A career .251 hitter with speed, Bourjos stole 41 bases in 54 attempts and was among AL leaders with 11 triples, 17 bunt hits and 38 infield hits in 2011. Allen Craig will move to right field next year, making room for slugger Matt Adams at first base, with Matt Holliday in left field. Top prospect Oscar Taveras is expected to make the team but without the pressure of starting in centre field. The 22-year-old Grichuk was the 24th overall selection in the 2009 amateur draft, one ahead of Mike Trout, and starred at Double-A Arkansas last season. Dipoto said Grichuk likely would have begun next season at the Triple-A level. "Theres still some growing he needs to do at the plate, but Randal has the upside to play at the major league level," Dipoto said. "I hope he ends up a major league player." Grichuk had 57 extra-base hits, including a team-leading 22 homers that ranked sixth in the Texas League. He batted leadoff the majority of the time and made two errors in the outfield, playing centre and right field. Grichuk has a .284 average with 61 homers and 259 RBIs in 433 minor league games. Hurricanes Jerseys 2021 .Y. -- It was as if Matt Moulson never left the New York Islanders. Hurricanes Jerseys China . Toronto (11-12) gave up leads in 10-8 and 11-4 losses to the Baltimore Orioles this week. It was never close Friday as the Boston Red Sox got to Mark Buehrle early en route to an 8-1 win. https://www.cheaphurricanes.com/ . In a matchup of teams battling head-to-head for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccers Western Conference, the Whitecaps run to the post-season took a hard hit when FC Dallas blew open a tie game with two goals in the final minutes for a 3-1 victory Saturday night. Carolina Hurricanes Pro Shop . The cause of his death is as of yet undetermined, but police said foul play is not suspected. Carolina Hurricanes Gear . It took five games, but the Celtics finally helped Stevens earn his first NBA victory. "Im going to celebrate for a whole 12 minutes, and then Im going to start watching Orlando and trying to figure them out," the first-year Celtics coach said after Boston beat the Utah Jazz, one of the leagues other winless teams, 97-87 on Wednesday night.PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The New York Rangers have momentum, a unified locker room and Henrik Lundqvist. The Pittsburgh Penguins have two of the worlds best players and a coach who could be needing a win to keep his job. No pressure or anything, just a Game 7 that could alter the long-term future of one of the NHLs most stable franchises and boost the immediate prospects of an emotionally charged group rallying around one of the games most respected veterans. Looking overmatched and overwhelmed while falling behind 3-1 to the Penguins four games into the Eastern Conference semifinals, its the Rangers who head to Game 7 on Tuesday night looking like the team ready to move on. Martin St. Louis, just days removed from the death of his mother, scored the first of New Yorks three goals in Game 6 to provide the jolt that carried the Rangers all the way back from the brink. The way St. Louis figures it, he is simply repaying the guys in a dressing room hes still learning after arriving in New York after a trade with Tampa Bay in February. "I think when something like that happens to one person to see the support you get from everybody else, it really makes it real," he said. "Theres not phoniness about the family feeling you want to create." Its a feeling that ebbs and flows in Pittsburgh. Dominant and disruptive to start the series, the Penguins have spent the last six periods giving New York every reason to believe it can rally from a 3-1 deficit for the first time in franchise history. Centre Sidney Crosby has just one goal in 12 games. The power play — which tied with Washington for the leagues best in the regular season — has converted just one of its past 19 chances. And now coach Dan Bylsma finds himself 60 minutes away from either taking the Penguins back to the conference finals for the third time in six years or possibly looking for work. Not that Bylsma is ready to talk about the big picture yet. The task at hand is worrisome enough. "These are the ones you dream about playing," Bylsma said. "This is one were going to remember." The memories havent been kind to the Penguins in deciding games on home ice. Pittsburgh is just 2-6 at home in Game 7s in franchise history, including losses to Montreal in 2010 annd Tampa Bay three years ago.dddddddddddd. The Penguins played the entire series against the Lightning without Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, who sat out with injuries. Both have been healthy this time around, skating alongside each other in the hopes theyll provide offence. Only Malkin, who has six goals in 13 games, has delivered. Though Crosby ended a 13-game playoff goal drought in Game 3, he spent as much time in Game 6 jawing with the Rangers and getting water squirted on him by Lundqvist as he did trying to become the magnetic force that can sometimes change the course of a game with his will. Crosby insists he is healthy even while averaging just .75 points per game during the post-season, well below his career playoff average of 1.28. The leagues leading scorer received a pep talk from Penguins co-owner and Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux in the aftermath of Game 6. Having a quick chat is nothing new for Crosby and his mentor. "He definitely has a pretty good understanding of dealing with the pressure," Crosby said. So does Lundqvist. The goaltender thrives when the pressure is its highest. He was New Yorks best player early in the series, the main reason 3-2, 2-0 and 3-0 losses didnt look worse. When it looked as if the Rangers were out of it after falling behind 3-1, he responded by stopping 67 of the next 69 shots he faced and is 9-2 with a 1.35 goals-against average with the Rangers facing elimination. The three-time All-Star is 4-1 in Game 7s. "He takes his game up to another level," New York coach Alain Vigneault said. "But this Game 7 against this team, its going to have to be a team level. Its going to have to be everybody taking their game to another level." The same can be said in the Penguins dressing room, which could have a very different look. If the team built to become a dynasty after winning it all in 2009 falls short of the Stanley Cup finals for the fifth straight season. The Penguins won that title in Game 7 on the road against Detroit, the defending champions. To take the next step back they have to find that magic at home. "We worked hard all year to get home ice in the playoffs," Crosby said. "To get to this point weve got to look at this like an opportunity and make the most of it." ' ' '