The Cardinals acquired reliever Edward Mujica from the Marlins for third baseman Zack Cox, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB Network.
Mujica, 28, has a 4.38 ERA, 6.0 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 1.38 HR/9, and 50.4% groundball rate in 39 innings for the Marlins this year. Mujica is owed $568K for the remainder of the season and will be arbitration eligible for the third and final time after the season. Mujica was part of the deal that sent Cameron Maybin to the Padres in November 2010.
Cox, 23, was the Cardinals' first-round pick in 2010. He's hitting .254/.294/.421 in 316 Triple-A plate appearances. Baseball America ranked Cox fourth among Cardinals prospects prior to the season, and was still willing to call him a "potential No. 3 hitter" at the time. It's a nice pickup for Mujica, even if Cox's star has fallen.
Photo courtesy of Steve Mitchell/US Presswire.
Cardinal fans, what are you guys thoughts?
Overpayed for a marginal reliever
Overpaid but that’s what the deadline is about. I’m fine with overpaying for a piece that is going to make a difference on the team, but this isn’t even really much of an upgrade.
exactly. you accept that you’re going to pay to improve, but it’s not clear that you really improved here
Nope. I knew Cox was eventually going to be moved….but I really would have thought it’d be in a package for something much better than a middle reliever.
mujica can be very good, but the cardinals basically bought low here while somehow still paying high
Overpay but Cox didnt fit here and his luster is wearing off. Feels like Brett Wallace all over again but I still like the deal for the Marlins. We got Matt freaking Holliday for Wallace.
he’s held right handers to a line of .211/.256/.329. I would have rather seen a move for a guy like Broxton but this is not a bad move.
Got rid of a useless, blocked player whose value has been rapidly dropping due to lackluster performance.
Got a nothing special reliever who may or may not perform better than the current bullpen, but the only glaring weakness has been a solid 3rd bullpen guy who can come in when Boggs and Motte aren’t available for whatever reason and lock it down. This is not that guy, but again, the value of Cox is extremely low and who they got isn’t going anywhere after the season.
Not bad, but nothing really spectacular unless a change of scenery makes Mujica suddenly a 2.0 ERA lights out 7th inning guy.
Anything to keep Marte in AAA.
Zack Cox really makes up for the loss of Matt Dominguez.
Isn’t Zach Cox really good?
Was a top 100 prospect coming into the season. Has struggled a ton though so far in AAA.
He was their first round pick in 2010. And Cox was a top ten 3B in all of mlb prospects. Weird trade…
Doesn’t sound like he’s very good defensively at 3B and a corner infielder with a .715 OPS in the PCL is downright awful. That said, it’s not like you can expect much for Mujica, so this was an ok return.
He did well at every other level though. Having a down year during his first time through AAA shouldn’t make him worth a mediocre middle reliever
Yeah with you there. To me his numbers and the scouting reports make it sound like his ceiling is Casey Blake and his floor is Brandon Inge.
A lot of scouts aren’t really that high on Cox. He’s stayed in the top 100’s just because he’s pretty much ready. Will hit for a solid average but doesn’t have much power. Still probably an overpay but a lot of Cardinal fans seen this coming. They just have too many potential 3B right now.
he has good raw power, hasn’t played a ton in games yet tho.
Ewwwww.
wow… dont like this for the cards at all…
Any chance Cox sees time with the big club now? Marlins dont have much in the way at 3rd…
Seems like the Cards gave up on Cox.
Talk about selling low… Jeez.
What?!? Wow, Cardinals, wow.
Peter Gammons can tweet?
Its the new app on the Jitterbug phone.
what the heck? this is awful..
haha wow
your killin me mo why would you do this!!!!! id rather us have stayed put then traded away cox
seems like an overpay, maybe just a down year at AAA, a little more seasoning, could of done better if you were gonna trade cox.
Come on Down to the Miami Marlins Fire Sale! Everything Must Go!
Keep saying that meme enough and you may convince somebody it is actually the case.
Only Hanley Ramirez was among their 2013 plans and they wanted to trade him anyway.
Yet the Marlins got a pretty decent haul for the collection of veterans they swapped for prospects.
wow what a great deal for the Marlins, Mujica isnt very good and cox is the cardinals fifth best prospect
Under no circumstances is Cox the cards 5th best prospect
I personally rate Cox at about 6th or 7th depending on if you see Rosenthal, Adams, and Kelly still as prospects. Martinez, Miller, Taveras, and Wong are all better IMO.
it is what mlb.com says and I think that is a pretty good source
cant wait to hear the explanation on this one
Marlins redeem themselves.
And where was Zack Cox going to play in St. Louis? Behind Freese and Carpenter at 3rd, or behind Schumaker and Wong at 2nd?
“We have no use for this guy, so we’ll give him away for 50 cents on the dollar” isn’t really a compelling defense of a trade.
That’s a fair point, but Cards could have gotten a better return for Cox, like a SP.
no they really couldn’t. Cox is a bust.
Cox stock has fallen drastically. I wouldnt have even placed him as a top 10 prospect in the Cardinals organization at this point.
For who? I don’t like this trade but tgey teally couldnt have picked up a decent starter with Cox.
so you trade him for a below average reliever? Nice excuse.
I am seeing now that Dempster says he will approve a trade to Yankees! Only thing is this morning the Yankees said: “Aside from the reports we are pushing for a Dempster deal, they are unfounded”
Cox is struggling a little in his first year of AAA. Was killing it before 2012
Huge overpay. This guy has a future.
Cox doesn’t have a future with the Cardinals. He’s blocked by Freese, Carpenter, and Descalso not even mentioning Kelly, Piscotty, and Wisdom in the system.
Cox has really regressed some offensively this season very streaky hitter defense is below average as well. Solid pickup for the Cardinals.
Sure Cox was blocked because of Freese, but Mozeliak really messed up on this one. If he really wanted to trade Cox, he shouldve look for waaaaay better than Mujica
good point. i wouldve been ok if we traded cox for someone like broxton or maybe even betancourt but…. mujica.. eh
Wow, that is just really strange. Cox is having a horrible year, but teams don’t give up on a first rounder, especially one you gave a major league contract to, so quickly. For a freakin’ middle reliever?
My thoughts exactly…I just don’t get it.
Plus Cox is currently blocked by Freese, Carpenter, and Descalso. Also Cardinals selected 3 3B in the draft this season Piscotty, Wisdom, and Kelly.
We trade away one of our top offensive prospects for some random relief pitcher?!
if batting under .260 is one of our top offensive prospects we are in trouble
If you would’ve signed Pujols for 10 years you would be in trouble.
At this rate, maybe the Brewers can score Freese for Randy Wolf!
Id rather have Zack Cox pitch.
Very good against Righties, could be this years Dotel. I’m happy with this move.
Nice trade for The Fins, are they going to play him right away or wait a bit?
Probably wait a little bit.
they should definitely wait, Cox really should go back to AA, he’s really struggled in AAA.
That picture of Edward Mujica is the perfect summation of the facial expressions every Cardinals fan made upon hearing this was a done deal.
Mujica in that picture has the same look on his face as Cardinals fans after this trade….
Edit: I see DerekJeterDan beat me to the chase by about a second…
Understandable after the Cards drafted Piscotty who is arguably a better spect than Cox and Wisdom. Mujica could be last years Dotel for the Cards.
The Marlins are so up and down with these deals. This is a great deadline-type trade for them, keeping in mind that Mujica was a key piece to the 2010 Cameron Maybin trade with San Diego. To flip him for a 23-year old that was the 25th overall pick in 2010, is a natural third baseman, and excelled at every level up to this season is exceptional work by Miami. Cox has struggled in his first AAA season, but he is a legit Top 100 prospect with a pedigree, the type of player you would expect to see in a much bigger trade. The Marlins may have found their third baseman of the future for an average middle reliever.
I have to disagree with you a little. There is no doubt this trade seems weird for a prospect to be traded for an average reliever but Mo’ is smart. Plus do you know the names Tyler Green and Brett Wallace. They both were thought out to be the second coming for the redbirds. Now look, both cant stay at the major league level.
The Marlins haven’t had a natural 3B in a long time. This trade fills a hole for them. Next they should trade for a natural LF, preferably by trading Carlos Lee.
Marlins have done really well in their trades this year, wow
Cardinal fans, does this mean that Matt Carpenter is somewhat untouchable in deals? I still see him blocked by Freese @ 3B and Craig @ 1B. Is he available from what you read & hear in St. Louis?
I don’t see why Carpenter wouldn’t be available. With Freese the starter and Descalso as the backup at 3rd, Carpenter is still plenty expendable. At 1B he is behind Berkman and Craig this year and behind Adams and Craig long-term.
I’m not sure they could get enough value out of him where it would make sense to deal him. But I’m sure he’s not untouchable.
I’m not sold on Descalso, so in your scenario (and my mind): yes, Carpenter is untouchable. But I’m not sold on that either, and so far the STL press isn’t talking about him moving.
I don’t think they will trade him honestly. They like his versatility at a multitude of positions including 3rd, 1st, OF, and if necessary a middle infield slot. Matheny likes these types of players because if injuries sprout up (like they have) Descalso and Carpenter have been able to fill in nicely so far.
I absolutely hate this trade…..I just hope they dont trade Miller or Taveras…..seems to be the pattern for the Cards trading former 1st rounders within 3 or 4 years, Wallace, Rasmus, and now Cox. They need to have more patience
Mo knows what he’s doing. The trade that sent Rasmus to the Jays SAVED our season last year. Mo > Walk Jocketty
Wallace? When a young kid is traded three times in a year there’s a problem.
Yeah, cuz Rasmus and Wallace are just so freakin awesome!!!
Cox wont even be half as good as Wallace.
I’ve seen the Cards make odder “win now” trades (hell, does this even qualify?), but Cox was hopelessly stuck in AAA. Somewhat ironically, I just had a discussion over the weekend on whether the Marlins would take (or we would offer) Cox, Shelby Miller and Matt Adams for JJ and cash/PTBNL. Adams is pretty much stuck too, and the Fish would want a young arm back.
Damn people. This trade benefits both sides. Zack Cox is no star. We needed bullpen depth.
Could someone clarify how Cox’s contract works? He was signed to a Major
League contract, so would he still have been arbitration eligible?
I know this sounds dumb, but could this have been a slight salary dump for a blocked player in front and better player behind?
4 years/$3.2M (2010-13)signed Major League contract with St. Louis 8/6/10$2M signing bonus (paid in $0.4M installments 10/31/10 and Dec. 15, 2010-13)10:$0.2M, 11:$0.2M, 12:$0.35M, 13:$0.45Msalaries increase to Major League minimums in majors
He was guaranteed a 40 man spot, meaning the team had to use options right away. What this means is that he has only one option remaining, despite having no major league service time. His contract will still work just like any other player in terms of arbitration and all of that, but he has to make the major league roster by opening day 2014 or he will be exposed to waivers.
I’m not sure why anyone would say a good prospect would be blocked by Descalso at ANY position?!?!?! Have you not seen him play? He’s a backup at best!
he’s not a backup, have you seen his glove, besides most second baseman don’t eve hit above .300
Ok, first off, Mo’ knows what he’s doing. When He traded Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen when he first arrived I got pissed off. But it ended up fine at the end and we acquired this young prospect named David Freese. To go along with that he traded Colby Rasmus to the Blue Jays in return for a lot of pitching, and we all know how 2011 ended up for the Cards.
Second off with Carpenter, Freese, Wong, Craig and Schumaker looking to be here for a while, where is he going to go??? There is no room for him here and I would like to see him grow to his potential than became a career bench/utility player.
I do agree that for Mujica it seems a little odd, but I have faith in Mozaliek. After all the moves he has made, I think he knows what he’s doing
I also have faith in Mozeliak but Walt Jocketty was the GM when the Cardinals acquired Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen.
Reading. You’re doing it wrong.
Whoops! Late night. I do believe that Mozeliak made an informed decision in this move. I don’t think that he was as naive as people like to paint him in the Rasmus and Cox deals. Rasmus’s numbers were due to inflate when he went to Toronto (Bautista, Hill, Encarnacion?). One of Mozeliak’s best attributes is patience. His patience has made the Cardinals into an organization that is as healthy as it is.
Cardinals gave way too much!
Well there goes my hope of landing Broxton or Putz…. and while Cox is being blocked at the MLB level, I think they could have given up a lesser prospect for this guy.
This is unreal…the second time a team has paid a steep price for Mujica. What is it with him?
Maybe I don’t even want to know.
Does make Phillies acquisition of Lindblom (+ Martin) for a 2 month Victorino rental look pretty darn good.
The return on the Pence deal? Not so much.
Well look at that, the Marlins ARE capable of making a good trade.
Mujica has a WHIP of 1.15 this year, compared to Victor Marte (1.49) and Maikel Cleto (1.67). I think Mujica is probably an average reliever, but he’s considerably better than the alternative. At least when he comes in during the 7th, I’ll be wondering IF he’ll hold the opposition. When Marte and Cleto come in, I’m wondering HOW the opposition will score.
Awe seriously? This is our big move?
So u mean to tell me that mo miss a road trip to aquire a not do good reliever this doesn’t make any since, they wasted my time man for real. We need to be gearing up for the world series like everyone else.. Really frustrating
They seriously couldn’t find a better picture of this guy?
Is this guy any good?
Cards got fleeced. Again… Cheap,Cheap, Cheap that’s the sound these birds make….
I don’t think many teams were seriously interested in Cox. I just don’t think the scouts around baseball are that impressed with him…. regardless of where the 3rd party publications have him.
Im just sad the Jays didn’t float Darren Oliver over if the Cards were looking for a lefty reliever. Buying low on Cox would have been great, especially if we could have moved him over to second since he wasn’t really hot stuff on the hot corner. This seems like a AA trade, or at least it used to until he started huffing gas and began trading position players for relievers and not the other way around.
I see this as a pretty fair trade on both ends. At this point in his career, Cox is a huge question mark. Mujica is a “proven mediocre” reliever with a year of control (adding marginal value). It addressed a seemingly chronic problem the Cards are faced with in their bullpen. You’re either a buyer, seller, or complacent at the deadline. The Cards were annointed buyers, so they addressed their need. Could they have done better? Maybe. However, you must understand that you give to get. No use in getting mad about a quesiton mark to address a need when you’re 4 games out. I’d give the deal some time. I think Mo has earned that confidence.
What the heck You trade zack Cox for him! they should’ve gone for someone like justin hampson, not him
I don’t think the Cardinals really care about 3rd party rankings. In 2010, current major leaguers David Freese, Allen Craig, and Jon Jay were ranked 7th, 8th, and 9th behind juggernauts like Robert Stock, Daryl Jones, and Eduardo Sanchez. The franchise is in excellent shape on all levels at this point. My best guess is that nobody but the 3rd party publications were that high on Zach Cox at this point. It’s very possible that the scouts around the majors saw a lot of red flags with Cox this year. It is also very possible that, if this is true, that this is the best they could get for Cox. Mozeliak has built the top offense in the National league, fostered a very healthy minor league system, and put together a team that won a World Series. The Cardinals’ scouts saw something they liked in Mujica (something I don’t see). They also felt that they saw enough of Zach Cox to be comfortable in dealing him. The Cardinals aren’t concerned with stocking up on good potential… they’re concerned about winning. All they needed was a middle of the road middle reliever to stop the hemorrhaging. They got him for someone they felt comfortable giving up on. I wouldn’t have made the deal but I’m going to give the 2011 World Champions the benefit of the doubt at this point.
Hate to see Cox go, but Cards need bullpen help to make the playoffs and Mujica is an improvement. Cox will get a better opportunity in Miami if he starts hitting again.
Mujica is as good as Broxton, the Cardinals just paid too much. None of those players are going to win tge division. That said, it’s still the reds division to lose.
Mujica is under control through 2013
eMike, he’s our 4th rated prospect. What’s that say about the rest of the Cards prospects? If he’s not our top 3rd base prospect and he’s our number 4 rated prospect does that mean our number 1-3 rated prospects are all 3rd baseman as well? NO.. It means we got fleeced. again
These 3rd party publication’s prospect ratings mean nothing to the Cardinals. My best guess is that some red flags have popped up this year. I don’t think the other teams were banging down the Cardinals’ door for this guy. Remember, other teams have scouts too and, apparently, this was the best deal offered. Just because the 3rd party publications are high on a guy, it doesn’t mean that the actual MLB scouts like him.