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Freese was regarded by the Padres as organizational filler.  In 2007, when they traded him for Edmonds, Kouzmanoff was viewed as the "can't miss" 3B for the next 10 years in Southern Cal.  Freese was a 1B/3B and the Padres had a pair of 25-year-olds (AGON and Kouzmanoff) at those two slots.  (Random aside - the 2007 Padre Roster includees the following names, Seattle fans might recognize: Mike Cameron, Jose Cruz, Milton Bradley, Russell Branyan).  Edmonds was done, so the trade was a disaster.  But, after an 89-win 2007 season, the Pads thought they were just a key veteran addition away from winning the West.  (Oops).
Honestly, Freese is a solid RH bat with too little power to go with a too high K-rate.  He fans like a 25-30 HR guy, but has only 15 HRs in 667 MLB PAs.  He brings a good (not great) walk rate.  But, he hits .300 steadily.  He brings a steady, but unspectacular glove.
The problem with Freese is that he doesn't do ANYTHING exceptionally well, but he does nothing at all poorly.  This makes him a great guy for your roster, but leaves a GM (and manager) in a constant state of "wish-he-did-this-better".  If he had a little more power.  If he walked a little more frequently.  If he had more speed.  If he had a little better glove.
David Freese is what the masses *perceive* to be a replacement level player.  (They are, of course, horribly wrong on this count, but I digress).  He platooned with Descalso because ... well, Descalso is left-handed.  Freese kills lefties, keeping his overall stat line up ... but can best be described as pedestrian against righties.  Like always ... he's not bad.  He's just exceptionally "not great".
It's not so much that he hits an empty .300.  It's that he hits the most boring .300 one could imagine.  So boring, it's actually only .296.  That is David Freese.