Peter Kozma had a miserable 2015 season for the Cardinals.
There’s all sorts of stats that will corroborate the statement above, but just in case you want one to whet your whistle: Kozma’s Rbat (number of runs better or worse than an average player as a hitter) was -13.
In just over 100 plate appearances, he was negative 13.
That’s sub-optimal.
So when the Cardinals bid adieu to The Koz after the season, everyone wished him well. After all, the former 1st round draft pick did have some memorable moments wearing the birds on the bat.
But now?
The rumor mill is in overdrive after Jhonny Peralta’s hand surgery.
Reports from ESPN indicate the Erick Aybar might be an option since the Braves are willing to wheel and deal. They also mention Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores of the New York Mets, Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings of the Diamondbacks and free agent Everth Cabrera.
But it’s Buster Olney who raised an eyebrow with this:
Another name to watch could be Pete Kozma, who is currently in New York Yankees camp as a depth option, ESPN’s Buster Olney points out. Drafted by the Cardinals in 2007 and a member of the major league team for the last five years, the 27-year-old is familiar with the club and makes sense as an inexpensive quick fix.
Inexpensive? Familiar? You have the Cardinals attention, Buster. HE’S TOTALLY COMING BACK, ISN’T HE?
Mr. Kozma is in Yankees camp on a minor-league deal. We don’t need to go into all the contract details, but suffice to say if the Cardinals have an interest… the Yankees will make it work for everybody.
I can see the press conference now.
“Pete was a big part of the Cardinals culture. Pete is a great defensive option that can play multiple positions. Pete is ready to bounce back from a sub-par 2015.”
Listen, I like The Koz. Seemed to be pretty low-key. Friend to many around the team. But we’ve seen Coach Mike have a bad little habit of playing ‘his guys’. And putting a dude we know he loves back in the mix is (probably) going to lead to some teeth gnashing from Cardinals Nation.
No offense to Kozma. Let’s hope he goes gangbusters this spring and makes it with the Yanks or another MLB team. Wish him the best of luck.
But the separation between the Cardinals and Kozma was the fresh start everyone needed. And even though a second act might be tempting… let’s remember the good times and leave it at that.
Photo: Rawlings
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