We’re stuck with him. The Braves felt they needed a lefty in the pen and didn’t trust Sam McConnell, much less Buddy Hernandez. So they traded for Martin. Martin is a totally fungible reliever, a guy you never commit to, but the Dodgers gave him a two-year deal after a marginally successful 2003 season. They soon realized their mistake, but found a sucker in Scheurholz who would take him off their hands. Martin was adequate in a LOOGY role, but nothing spectacular and nobody seems to like him. He’ll be 35 this season and will make something similar to the $1.4 million he made in 2004.
He’s supposed to get lefties, but they hit .310/.377/.480 against him last season. He was actually better against righties, .247/.329/.452… Got Barry Bonds, though. He’s listed as facing Bonds 14 times (I’m guessing all-time) and holding him to .214/.267/.214. That might actually be useful if you’re the Dodgers, but the Braves only face the Giants a couple series a year.
I heard another rumor about the Brave’s interest in Huff. At the risk of exposing myself to Mac’s ire, I’m going to make a hairbrained proposal (Martin’s a pretty unexciting guy to get a string going): Do you think Tampa would have interest in a LaRoche & Estrada for Huff scenario, if not not now then maybe next offseason? It’s a lot to give up, but then we’re all aware of the problems we’re going to have fitting Marte into the lineup, so moving LaRoche would allow Chipper or Marte to man first. Plus I hear that we have a couple of young Catchers, one of whom may be ready to join the 25 man roster in 2006. For their part, Tampa Bay has neither a good 1B or good C. Just a thought.
The key in dealing with Tampa is to prey on Chuck Lamar. Offer him former Braves “name” prospects like Wilson betemit. No need to offer anything worthwhile, offer toolsy guys with no real value instead.
mac, do u like anyone?
I like lots of people. I’m not particularly fond of any of these relievers, though.
Lamar’s nuts, is the problem. He always asks for ridiculous numbers and/or levels of prospects. I seriously doubt he’d trade Huff for any package that didn’t include Marte or Francoeur.
The immediate problem is that the Braves would be left with an Eddie Perez/Brayan Pena catcher combination for this season, and even if Brian McCann makes it as a catcher probably in 2006 as well. So it won’t happen. LaRoche and McCann might be worth pursuing.
Andy Marte has been ranked the #1 prospect in baseball by Baseball Prospectus.
Forgot to post a link:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=3773
Thanks. I’m not surprised; Rany’s been hinting at that for months.
Sorry for following the tangent rather than the original thread but you’ve pretty much summed up the relief pitchers.
Funny. Marte wasn’t even the number one prospect for just the Braves on Baseball America. I guess he doesn’t look good in a pair of jeans. Who hear guesses that Andy is in LF by June?
I’d love to get Aubrey Huff but I don’t believe the rumor. Mac’s right Huff’s a good player but LeMar would want something totally ridiculous for him.
The only thing impressive about Martin is how unimpressive he is.
It’s impressive that such a marginal player will make… hmm… 50 times my annual salary (or approximately my annual salary per inning) next year.
Johnny, I’m with you on Marte. This kid is getting so much hype it’s unbelievable. If he comes out on fire in spring training and in the first half of the season, I bet he will fast-track it to major league playing time, if for no other reason than the Braves realise he could earn them a lot of positive attention (oh and money).
I hope he’s a smart guy; I don’t know much about him. But he’s going to have a lot of eyes on him so I hope for his sake the kid has his shit together. And just relaxes and lives up to this.
Mac, Martin will make $1.6 million this season and the Dodgers will pay half of that.
I don’t believe in the Huff rumor either because 1) we don’t have enough money to take Huff and 2) just like what everyone here knows, LaMar’s demand will be ridiculous.
I stand corrected. Close to sixty times my annual salary.
That salary for Martin is just ridiculous. If the Braves had no decent lefties in the minors last year, I could understand spending $800K a season for this guy. How is this guy worth any more than even Sam McConnell? JS isn’t a sucker, and he had to know Martin is overpaid. I wonder if there is more to this deal that we don’t know about. For instance, DePo says to JS, if you take Martin off my hands now at this price so I can make some deals, I owe you one. That kind of stuff has to happen, but it doen’t have to have happened in this case.