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New faces, old places: Revamped Cards, Red Sox meet in 2013 WS rematch

Reuters

At one time in baseball history, a World Series rematch four years after the fact would have very likely featured two rosters mostly intact from that fall classic.

But this is the era of free agency, and change is afoot in baseball. Nowhere will that be more evident this week than at Busch Stadium, where the Boston Red Sox are set to host the St. Louis Cardinals in a rematch of the 2013 World Series, won by Boston in six games.

Those 2013 Red Sox were an aberration of a champion - a group of veterans who weren't supposed to do anything but still managed to sandwich a title in between 90-loss seasons. For the Cardinals, 2013 was the continuation of a decade of dominance, and the team reflected that: a mix of the old wave, short-term veterans like Carlos Beltran, and the next generation of youngsters all equally contributed to their pennant.

If you're headed to St. Louis expecting a full-tilt grudge match, however, think again. Four years later, many of the key players from both sides have moved on, relegating this two-game set to "just another series" status. Here's a look at who remains from that historic clash in 2013.

CARDINALS

Player Pos.
Yadier Molina C
Matt Carpenter IF
Kolten Wong 2B
Matt Adams 1B
Adam Wainwright P
Lance Lynn P
Trevor Rosenthal P
Kevin Siegrist P
Michael Wacha P
Carlos Martinez P

Then: The young Cardinals pitchers were around in 2013, though aside from Rosenthal and Siegrist - who remain key cogs in their bullpen - none were major contributors in the World Series. Martinez was an electric rookie at the time, but got stuck in the 'pen behind Wacha, Lynn, and Wainwright, who all got rocked by Boston's offense. If anyone's going to be sour about that series in the St. Louis dugout, though, it's got to be Wong. He made the World Series roster as a bench piece following a successful September call-up, but got embarrassed when he was picked off first to end Game 4 - a play that turned the entire series around into Boston's favor.

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

Now: They haven't returned to the World Series since 2013, but the Cardinals have made the playoffs twice thanks to the likes of Wong, Adams, and Martinez, who were spare parts four years ago. The core of Molina, Wainwright, and Carpenter remains in place, but with entirely different parts surrounding it.

RED SOX

Player Pos.
Xander Bogaerts SS
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Jackie Bradley Jr.* OF
Brock Holt* IF-OF
Steven Wright* P

* Did not appear in 2013 postseason

Then: Bogaerts had his coming-out party in the World Series, taking over as the Red Sox third baseman after just 18 regular-season games, while Pedroia was - and remains - the rock of their infield; ironically, neither performed to their capabilities in the 2013 series. Bradley Jr. made his debut in the regular season.

(Photo courtesy Getty Images)

Now: Key members of the 2013 Red Sox are everywhere but Boston these days. Series MVP David Ortiz is, of course, retired, as is outfielder Shane Victorino; Jacoby Ellsbury and Jarrod Saltalamacchia bolted for big money elsewhere that winter, while trades and time eventually tore the rest of the roster. But remnants do remain in Beantown: a series of deals turned ace Jon Lester into last year's Cy Young winner, Rick Porcello, while the Red Sox drafted Michael Kopech - who was included in the Chris Sale trade - as compensation for Ellsbury leaving.

BONUS: JOE KELLY

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

Kelly earned his pay as a Cardinals starter in 2013, and then gave them one solid outing in the World Series. So perhaps there was some awkwardness when, less than a year later, he was dealt to Boston in a deadline-day trade (along with Allen Craig) for veteran John Lackey. Three years later, Kelly's finally thriving in John Farrell's bullpen, making this trade a very late steal for the Red Sox. He's probably happy now, but we can't blame Kelly if he's just a little peeved at some of his Red Sox friends for stealing his ring.

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