Re: General Discussion

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BA says of the deal:

Kaminsky is a nice return on a 31-year-old outfielder who has struggled this year. Kaminsky is a short but well-built lefthander who impresses because of an advanced understanding of how to pitch and the potential to have three average or better pitches.

The questions with Kaminsky revolve largely around how much fastball he is going to have. Normally Kaminsky will show an 88-91 mph fastball that’s fringe-average in velocity, although he bumps that up to 92-93 in spurts when he needs it. It plays up because Kaminsky has some deception and locates it well down in the zone. He generates tons of groundballs, relying on pitching to contact even though he also has an above-average curveball. At times he can get a little curveball-heavy in his approach, but his changeup shows potential as well.

Scouts love his combination of feel, control and confident, bulldog demeanor and believe he is someone who will figure out how to get the most out of his ability. He projects as a No. 4 starter with a solid fallback as a lefty reliever who would generate bushels of groundball outs.

Re: General Discussion

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Cleveland acquires Kaminsky, ranked 10th among LHP prospects


By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 10:07 AM ET

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals' search for offensive help took them to Cleveland, where they have made a deal with the Indians that will bring over Brandon Moss in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Rob Kaminsky. The trade was announced Thursday morning.

A year after an All-Star season, Moss has not put up the sort of offensive numbers the Indians hoped for when acquiring him from the A's in December. He has hit .217/.288/.407 through 94 games, though his 15 home runs will immediately make him the Cardinals' team leader. He has driven in 48, one fewer than St. Louis team-leader Jhonny Peralta.

"It's just been one of those years, man, where you just can't get anything rolling," Moss said on Tuesday. "You're always one step forward, two steps back. It's been a tough one. It's very tough to sit here and be in here and go through it, because I know what we go through and I know how much we all care."

The acquisition, however, does give the Cardinals the left-handed bat they sought and a player who can fill in either in the outfield or at first base. Zeroed in on improving their production at first base before Friday's 3 p.m. CT Trade Deadline, the Cardinals were unexpectedly thrust into looking for outfield help when Matt Holliday reinjured his right quad in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Reds.

The Cardinals placed Holliday on the 15-day disabled list Thursday. St. Louis plans to announce the severity of the injury, as well as an estimated timetable for Holliday's absence later on in the day.

Moss, who played in the National League Central as a member of the Pirates from 2008-10, is making $6.5 million this season and will be eligible for arbitration again in '16. He underwent surgery on his right hip in October to correct an issue that plagued him last season, but has not blamed any of his struggles in '15 on further health issues.

The cost to acquire some offensive help was steep for the Cardinals, who are parting with a highly touted pitching prospect. Kaminsky, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the 10th best left-handed pitching prospect in baseball, was a 28th overall selection in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.

Kaminsky, 20, has a 2.15 ERA through his first 43 appearances in three professional seasons. This year, Kaminsky posted a 2.09 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 94 2/3 innings for Class A Advanced Palm Beach.

Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, By Gosh, It's Langosch, follow her on Twitter @LangoschMLB, like her Facebook page Jenifer Langosch for Cardinals.com and listen to her podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain

Re: General Discussion

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Keith Law, ESPN Insider


The St. Louis Cardinals may be without Matt Holliday for an extended period after he reinjured his quad Wednesday night, which probably led to the quick acquisition of Brandon Moss from the Cleveland Indians for one of the Cardinals' top prospects, left-hander Rob Kaminsky, but it seems like a significant overpayment for a player who doesn't materially change their chances of winning the division or making the playoffs and could easily be omitted from the postseason roster in October.

The 2013 version of Moss appears to be a fluke in hindsight, much as it did at the time that it occurred, and over the last 365 days he's hitting .201/.298/.364 with strikeouts in 30 percent of his plate appearances. He does have plus raw power -- he has 17 home runs in that span, which considering his low contact rate is solid -- but that's most of what the Cardinals are buying, along with average defense in an outfield corner.