The Cardinals have returned Rule V draftee Ben Jukich to the Reds, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Jukich, 27, pitched as a swingman in the Cincinnati system last season. His 4.10 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 123 innings were good, not great at Triple-A Louisville. And considering he's actually allowed a higher batting average to lefties (.270) than righties (.256) in his career, he didn't figure to be a lefty specialist, either.
St. Louis GM John Mozeliak said he tried to work out a deal to keep Jukich, but couldn't "find a fit", Goold writes.
According to a report by the Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fayman, Reds manager Dusty Baker is happy to have Jukich back.
i wouldn’t have minded kozma for jukich trade. Oh well, can’t say im dissapointed.
You do realize that Kozma is still only 21, don’t you? Kozma isn’t anything special in my opinion but he still has plenty of time to grow before he could be considered a total bust.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t have liked to keep Jukich. The Cardinals could definitely use him.
I was really hoping that Ben Jukich would remain with the Cardinals.
I really don’t think Jocketty is going to be doing St. Louis any “favors” anytime soon. I could see him conspiring with the Cubs just to bring us down lol.