It was devastating to watch Matt Holliday tear his quad. Now the 35 year-old will definitely miss a ton of time. Since Holliday is out, the St. Louis Cardinals have bulked up their situation.
The Cardinals have acquired outfielder and first baseman Brandon Moss from the Cleveland Indians for pitching prospect Rob Kaminsky, according to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reported the first indications of the deal.
With Holliday headed to the disabled list and Matt Adams already there, Moss now provides the Cardinals depth at both positions. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Cardinals wanted Moss even before Holliday's injury. The 31 year-old has a power bat that can help the Cardinals lineup. Although Moss is hitting .217, he has 15 home runs and 50 RBIs. Moss could be asked to take over the duties at first for Mark Reynolds or just be the power hitter off the bench that he was for the Indians. He still has one year after this on his contract and would be a big part for the Cardinals next year.
Kaminsky is a 20 year-old lefthander who was considered the top prospect in the Cardinals system. The Indians see Kaminsky as a major leaguer who can make a big impact. The New Jersey native was the Cardinals first round draft pick back in 2013 and this year was in Advanced-A ball. He was 6-5 with a 2.09 ERA. If the Indians hold onto their young pitchers and add Kaminsky into the mix, they could have one of the youngest and best rotations in the majors in a few years.
The Cardinals may have overpayed for Moss by giving up their top prospect for a guy that can just hit for power. But with the injuries, it was a deal they needed to make.