Should the St. Louis Cardinals Give David Freese a Big Extension?

By Dan Parzych
(Peter Aiken/USA Today Sports)

Over the last two years, David Freese has emerged as a fan favorite for the St. Louis Cardinals as he took home MVP honors during the team’s 2011 World Series run along with a trip to the NLCS this past season before falling just short against the San Francisco Giants. The Cardinals relied even more on Freese in 2012 after Albert Pujols bolted town for the Los Angeles Angels and with the 2013 season right around the corner, should the team consider giving their third baseman a contract extension?

For a World Series MVP, it was disappointing to see Freese only make $508,000 last season and while he’s seeking $3.75 million for the upcoming season, the last thing St. Louis wants to do is get involved with an arbitration. All signs point to the two sides working something out before this even becomes an option, but the Cardinals may want to just consider giving Freese is an extension in general.

Freese is coming off a 2012 season in which he batted .293 to go along with 20 home runs and 79 RBI in 144 games and while these numbers may not stand out compared to other star players in the league–they’re still impressive to say the least. Freese seems like the type of player that is only going to get better with more experience and if the last two seasons are any indication of what to expect–the third baseman could be in for a big 2013 season as well.

And if this does happen to be the case, it would be wise for the Cardinals to lock him up now to avoid any complications later.

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