Marte Marches on the Majors
Andy Marte is one of the most talented players in a generation. So why did he get traded twice in the off-season?

Mike SCANDURA
MinorLeagueNews.com

PAWTUCKET, R.I. – The stock of 22-year-old Buffalo Bisons third baseman Andy Marte is rising faster than gasoline prices. He is a virtual lock to make the majors. Which begs the question: Why did the Atlanta Braves, Mecca of mega players, part with Marte?

Andy, who was voted the International League’s best defensive third baseman each of the last four years, including 2005 by managers, didn’t make the MLN FAB50, even after Baseball America ranked him the ninth-best prospect in all of minor league baseball last season for one key reason:

Chipper Jones. 

Jones is a green cap like K2 is a mountain. If the Braves held on to him, Andy would have had a humble career as back-up to the Stars playing his days in the Triple-A. Fortunately the cosmic tumblers of baseball turned in his direction. The cap came off of his career as events unfolded half a continent away, in the former home of the Braves.

Marte Math

Boston, abuzz with the talk of who would fill the shoes of Johnny Damon, had a preliminary answer in Atlanta: Andy Marte.

Atlanta had signed Jones to a three-year extension. Marte became expendable. He was peddled to Boston for Edgar Renteria.  That looked like a positive trade.

Before the name plate for the locker got cut though, he was on the move once again.

Cleveland's incumbent third baseman is Aaron Boone, a quality guy slipping out of the limelight of long-term franchise players. Marte fits their system in a lot of ways.

A month later, Boston sent Andy to Cleveland as part of a seven-player trade that brought in Coco Crisp to fill Damon's spot.

"It was a tough off season," said Marte. "As soon as I heard that Chipper Jones got three more years, I was ready for that. But Boston … I only was there for a month. But it's in the past. I can't control what Cleveland does but I think here I'm going to get a chance to play every day.”

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