The St Louis Cardinals again did what they did last year — picked up some relief help for a highly thought of piece. They traded third baseman Zack Cox, the fourth best prospect in the organization, to the Miami Marlins in exchange for reliever Edward Mujica, reports Peter Gammons.
The 28-year old Mujica has actually been a negative value reliever this year, thanks to a 4.38 ERA and 4.51 FIP in 39 innings. Mujica has always been a homer prone reliever, allowing six this year so far and 35 in total in 239 1/3 innings from 2009 to 2011. His strikeout and walk rates have both gone in the wrong direction this year, and he just doesn't seem to be much of an impact reliever.
As for Cox, the first round pick from 2010 has struggled this year in AAA Memphis, with a .716 OPS in 84 games. His power has stayed consistent, but balls just aren't dropping for him. He's still only 23, so he's not a lost cause at all, and the risk is worth taking for the Marlins, especially after dealing Matt Dominguez in the Carlos Lee trade.
