The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired starter Justin Masterson from the Indians, according to veteran insider Peter Gammons. Joel Sherman of the New York Post has reported that the Indians will receive outfield prospect James Ramsey.
Masterson, an impending free agent, seemed to have put it all together last year after posting a 3.45 ERA for the Tribe. However this year injuries have resulted in a 5.51 mark over 19 starts. He’s currently on the disabled list with a knee injury, but the hope in St. Louis is that he will be back to his old self once he’s healthy. Masterson was a strikeout artist last year. He was the proud owner of a 9.09 K/9, and limited home runs to 0.61 per nine innings.
However, part of Masterson’s issue this year was playing in front of one of the worst defensive infields in the league. FIP and xFIP both say his ERA should be closer to 4. It’s a definitive buy low move by GM John Mozeliak and the St. Louis front office. Masterson is also a right-hander, and that has long been part of the Cardinal archetype. Because he will not play a full season with a single team, he cannot be connected to draft pick compensation in the winter.
Ramsey, 24, currently plays at AA in the St. Louis system. Ranked the 8th best prospect in the system by Baseball America (currently 6th on MLB.com’s list of Cardinal prospects), he’s hit .300/.389/.527 this season in 281 plate appearances with 13 long balls. His high level of play earned him a selection to the 2014 Futures Game. His mix of on-base and power skills fit the mold of what Cleveland has liked in their prospects, and figures to slot in with Francisco Lindor and Clint Frazier as part of the crown jewels of their farm.
The move figures to take St. Louis out of the running for the bigger names in the pitching trade market, like Jon Lester, David Price and Cole Hamels. It also removes them as a competitor for teams like the Dodgers, Pirates, Yankees and Blue Jays.
Stay tuned to Last Word on Sports for all your trade deadline news. The deadline is tomorrow (Thursday) at 4 PM.
For more on sports injuries, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
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