Trade news: Cardinals acquire Brandon Moss

If you needed a sign that the St. Louis Cardinals are worried about the health of outfielder Matt Holliday, this is it.

In a trade finalized Thursday morning, the Cardinals acquired Brandon Moss from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Rob Kaminsky, one of the Cards’ top pitchers at the lower levels.

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Holliday is expected to miss several weeks with his latest quad strain, and the team is hopeful it can get him back by the end of the season. However, the team was bracing for the worst.

If you look at his batting average and nothing else, you might think the Cardinals picked up another Mark Reynolds. Moss has a .217 average through the first 94 games of the season, according to a report on Yahoo! Sports.

Take a closer look and you may understand why the Cardinals pulled the trigger. Moss has 15 home runs, an average of one long ball every six games.

The Cardinals offense is suddenly in free fall following a hot start. St. Louis has been shut out in the past two games, with 4-0 and 1-0 losses to the Cincinnati Reds. Moss will replace Holliday in the lineup in terms of power, so technically the team shouldn’t lose any punch. It could even gain some when Holliday returns in time for the postseason, if that happens.

The Cardinals are hopeful Moss can produce. The first signs are promising. He hit 13 of his 15 homers away from Cleveland. It’s too soon to tell how this translates to Busch Stadium and to the National League, but time will tell.

Kaminsky has been stuck in Class A this season, but scouts believe he could be a breakout pitcher for some team. His career earned run average is approximately 2.15 in over 200 innings of work.

Yes, it may be too soon to tell how this trade works out, but I envision this being one that definitely helps Cleveland long-term.

St. Louis, short-term, gets a bat back.