Zack Cozart is having a career year for the Cincinnati Reds. The 30-year-old shortstop already has tied his career-high with 15 home runs.
Over the past two years, Cozart is sporting a 162-game average of 28 homers and 80 RBI. The power surge should’ve helped the Reds find a trade partner for Cozart. But that isn’t happening.
No contending team needs a shortstop. That is why Cozart remains with the Reds. He’ll probably remain with the Reds for the rest of the season unless a shortstop on a contending team is injured between now and the end of the month.
Cozart is having a stellar 2016 campaign after he missed more than 100 games last year. Cozart required knee reconstruction after he slipped off first base during a game last year.
Cozart’s .262 clip at the plate also marks a career-best if he maintains that level. Likewise, his OPS and on-base percentage also mark career-bests.
Career year at the plate aside, Cozart has shown he can still play Gold Glove caliber defense. His fielding percentage on the year is .976. That is lower than his highest full-season percentage of .984 in 2014. It is still good enough for seventh-best in the NL among shortstops.
Cozart is making just under $3 million this year. He’ll have his final year of salary arbitration next year before becoming a free agent.
The Reds will have more options to deal Cozart in the off-season than now. The downside of more options later rather than sooner means the trade return for the Reds won’t be as much as it would be for a contending team in desperate need for a quality shortstop.
The Reds won’t bench Cozart this year in favor of a rebuilding prospect like Jose Peraza. The Reds won’t bench starting second baseman Brandon Phillips for Peraza this year either.
Worse case scenario, Peraza would get another year in 2017 of watching one of the best up-the-middle tandems in Reds’ history — Cozart and Phillips.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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