Marte was the third baseman of the future. He was a top Prospect of the Braves and tore up the minors. I'll bet once upon a time Dayf was sorry to see him go. After a brief stop in Boston, he was the centerpiece of the Coco Crisp deal. That trade went like this:
To Boston:
Coco Crisp - After playing very well in Cleveland, has been a huge disappointment in Boston.
David Riske - Dave bounced around a bit and has landed in Milwaukee. He's still a middle reliever.
Josh Bard - Josh Bard couldn't catch a knuckleball and was shipped off to San Diego where he played like an all-star for half a season and fell back to earth.
To Cleveland :
Marte - Could never put it together. Played horribly every chance he got. Ran out of chances.
Guillermo Mota - I think Guillermo Mota is doing time in South America for lighting someone on fire and killing them with a machete or something. Maybe that's Urbina. I can't remember. If he's not in the slam I have no idea where he is.
PTNL Randy Newman - 24 year old reliever who just made it to AAA at the end of last season. Not considered much of a prospect.
Kelly Shoppach - Became one of the best offensive catchers in the game last year. Played so well that the Indians talked about moving Ryan Garko (and the piano he carries on his back) to the outfield to make room for both Victor Martinez and Shoppach in the lineup. I heard some fans talk about trading Martinez.
I think the clear winner of this deal is the Indians and it's only because of Shoppach. Everyone else has been a disappointment or was never too valuable to begin with. The funny thing is I'll bet Shoppach was a throw in to give the Tribe another backup catcher to replace Bard.
I guess you never know how things will turn out
If I was another team, I'd snatch up Marte in a hurry. Not because I think he's any good. I don't. He sucks. But you never know. Maybe he just needs a fresh start. What makes me nervous as a Tribe fan is I feel the same about Marte as I thought about Brandon Phillips a few years ago.
Would anyone out there Like Brandon Phillips on their team?
