In A Flurry Of Trades, Braves And Red Sox Pull Off Blockbuster

By Alan Matthews
December 8, 2005

Less than a week after the Braves lost shortstop Rafael Furcal to the Dodgers as a free agent, they replaced him by shipping top prospect Andy Marte to the Red Sox for shortstop Edgar Renteria.

The Braves not only get their starting shortstop, but they also will get significant help in paying him from the Red Sox. Boston will reportedly pick up $11 million of the remaining $26 million Renteria is owed from the four-year, $40 million contract he signed with the Red Sox before the 2005 season.

After six standout seasons with the Cardinals, Renteria's tenure with the Red Sox lasted only one year. He led the majors with 30 errors and posted .276/.335/.385 numbers with eight home runs and 70 RBIs in 2005, after coming into the season with .289/.346/.400 numbers in nine seasons in the National League. The 30-year-old Colombia native also won back-to-back Gold Gloves with the Cardinals in 2002 and 2003.

Furcal, who had spent the past six seasons as Atlanta's everyday shortstop, signed a three-year, $39 million contract with the Dodgers, leaving a hole in the Braves infield.

Now the shortstop hole is in Boston. The Red Sox traded their former No. 1 prospect, shortstop Hanley Ramirez, to the Marlins last month in a deal that included righthander Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell. They have no obvious replacement for Renteria in the organization, making another deal likely.

Marte, 22, ranked as Atlanta's top prospect after making his major league debut in 2005 and posting a .275-20-74 campaign in 389 at-bats at Triple-A Richmond. He's a strong defensive third baseman and has above-average power.

He was 8-for-57 in three stints in Atlanta, the first one coming in June when he was called up to Atlanta after Chipper Jones was injured. He has 458 strikeouts and 252 walks in 1,867 minor league at-bats since signing with the Braves out of the Dominican Republic in 2000.

Marte's swing has a natural uppercut that generates plenty of loft power, and the ball jumps off his bat. He can hit with power to all fields and has improved his walk rate as he has gained experience. He was rated the best defensive third baseman in the Triple-A International League in 2005, the fourth consecutive year he won such an honor in his league in Baseball America's annual survey of minor league managers.