Indians trade outfielder Brandon Moss to Cardinals

The Indians have traded outfielder Brandon Moss to the Cardinals for lefthanded pitching prospect Rob Kaminsky.

The Cleveland Indians have dealt rightfielder Brandon Moss to the St. Louis Cardinals for minor league lefthanded pitcher Rob Kaminsky, the Cardinals announced Thursday.

The 31-year-old Moss is hitting .217 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs in 94 games in his first season with Cleveland and has hit 20 home runs or more in each of the past three seasons. His .288 on-base percentage this season ranks in the bottom third in the majors among qualified players. He signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the Indians in January after spending the previous three seasons with the Oakland Athletics and will be a free agent after the season.

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Moss, who has also played for the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies, is expected to join the Cardinals on Thursday night before the start of their four-game home series against the Colorado Rockies.

Kaminsky, 20, has a 6–5 record with a 2.09 ERA in 17 starts for Class A Palm Beach. He was originally selected by the Cardinals in the first round of the 2013 draft.

While the Cardinals have the best record in baseball at 64–37 and a 4 1/2-game lead over the Pirates in the NL Central, they have not scored a run in the last 22 innings.

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The trade comes after Cardinals leftfielder Matt Holliday left Wednesday night's loss to the Cincinnati Reds with a right quadriceps strain after being injured while running to first base. It is the same injury that caused Holliday to miss 31 games earlier this season. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of his latest injury.

- Scooby Axson