After Rafael Furcal’s elbow fell apart in spring training and trade speculation began,
St. Louis Cardinals players spoke highly of
Pete Kozma. They could not have had the kind of run they did at the end of last season, the other Cardinals said, without Kozma playing solid defense in the last weeks of the season. Earlier this season, Kozma was hitting a high as .276, on May 28.
But Kozma hit .209 in June, with a .501 OPS, and he was recently given a three-day break. He’s hitting .232 with a .572 OPS overall.
Sources say there has been more discussion about a possible swap that was talked about in the offseason: the Indians’
Asdrubal Cabrera to St. Louis.
It’s unclear just how far advanced these talks are, whether it’s more conceptual or internal at the moment, and undoubtedly, it’s a deal that would be more easily done in the offseason, with more time.
But it’s a situation worth watching, because it could be an in-season match that could make sense for both teams. For St. Louis, Cabrera would represent an upgrade at shortstop: He’s 27 years old and a switch-hitting, two-time All-Star with power and experience. Cabrera has a .725 OPS and has demonstrated the ability to play multiple positions, which is why the Yankees have asked about him repeatedly. He could play shortstop, yes, but also third base or second or even first, so if the Yankees needed to fill in for
Derek Jeter or
Alex Rodriguez or
Robinson Cano -- depending on developments ranging from injury (Jeter and A-Rod) to PED suspension (A-Rod) to free-agent departure (Cano, perhaps), Cabrera could step in. Cabrera makes $6.5 million this year, and will earn $10 million next season, before becoming eligible for free agency.
The Indians are positioned to consider trading him, because if Cabrera were swapped, they could cover his departure in the short term with
Mike Aviles -- and, of course, star prospect Francisco Lindor is climbing through the minors as the long-term solution; he’s hitting .307 in high-A ball this year,
at just 19 years old.
The Indians presumably would require at least one really good prospect in return, somebody close to the big leagues, and the Yankees don’t necessarily have a lot to choose from at the top of their system. But the Cardinals do, particularly with their pitching; they have what is regarded as the best farm system in the game, and they are loaded with great young arms --
Shelby Miller and
Trevor Rosenthal already have graduated to the big league level and presumably are not available, and
Carlos Martinez and
Michael Wacha are top arms in the minors, among others. (Martinez, by the way, was just called up to
work out of the St. Louis bullpen, as Derrick Goold writes.)
If the Cardinals traded for Cabrera, an already deep lineup would get even better: St. Louis ranks first in the National League
in runs scored, in spite of relatively
weak production at shortstop. They’re hitting .338 with runners in scoring position as a team, which helps.
If the Indians get a top-shelf young pitching prospect for Cabrera, he would join an already growing stable of starting pitching options for Cleveland that includes
Danny Salazar, who wowed in his major league debut Thursday; over six innings, he showed a 95-plus mph fastball and a wicked changeup.
The Indians have
Justin Masterson,
Ubaldo Jimenez,
Corey Kluber and
Scott Kazmir now, and will be getting the underrated
Zach McAllister back soon. From the beginning of the year, Cleveland has continued to believe that
Trevor Bauer will evolve, through his struggles. We'll see if they're ready to make that collection even deeper.
