In an attempt to bolster their lineup, the National League Central leading St. Louis Cardinals announced Thursday morning that they have acquired power hitter Brandon Moss from the Cleveland Indians for prized pitching prospect Rob Kaminsky.
#STLCards acquire left-handed hitting OF/1B Brandon Moss from CLE in exchange for minor league LHP Rob Kaminsky. pic.twitter.com/Po6NuEN3BF
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 30, 2015
Moss, 31, was an All-Star with the Oakland Athletics in 2014 before being shipped to the Indians during the winter. He’s hitting just .217 with 15 homers and 50 RBI’s in 94 games this year. The veteran also boasts a 28.3 percent strikeout rate this year. Adding a hitter become a necessity after the team likely lost Matt Adams for the season with torn quads.
As it relates to the bounty St. Louis paid here, it’s relatively high for a hitter that’s posted a sub .200 batting average over the past month-plus.
According to MLB.com. Kaminsky was the Cardinals third-ranked prospect prior to the deal. Now in Cleveland’s farm, he currently garners the same ranking. The 20-year-old left-handed pitcher was a first-round pick of St. Louis in 2013. He was pitching at High Single-A Palm Beach at the time of the deal, posting a 6-5 record with a 2.09 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 17 appearances (all starts).
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