St. Louis Cardinals Acquire Cleveland Indians Outfielder Brandon Moss

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski – USA Today Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired power hitting outfielder/first baseman Brandon Moss from the Cleveland Indians. In return, the Indians will receive left-handed pitcher Rob Kaminsky.

The Cardinals, fresh of a series loss in which they were shutout in back-to-back games, are looking for an extra bat for their playoff push. The team currently is atop the National League Central with a record of 64-37, just 4.5 games above the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With Matt Adams on the disabled list and Matt Holliday suffering his second quad strain on the year in last night’s loss, Moss is nothing more than insurance for the Cardinals. Holliday missed 31 games with the same injury earlier in the year.

Moss is currently batting .217 with 15 home runs and 17 doubles. He is a big bat that the Cardinals hope will be the catalyst to sparking this offense once again and ultimately pull away from the Pirates, who have won five of their last six games.

On the flip side, the Indians will acquire Kaminsky, a former 2013 first round pick. In 17 starts at High-A Palm Beach, the 20-year-old boasts a 2.09 ERA and a 7.5 strikeout-per-nine ratio. This is a salary dump move for the Indians, as they are out of contention and trading away an expiring contract. However, in the process they acquire a prospect with potential.