Cards deal Martinez to Rays

*Photo from CBS Sports*

   The St.Louis Cardinals have traded OF Jose Martinez, OF Randy Arozarena, and a compensation draft pick to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for LHP Matthew Liberatore, C Edgardo Rodriguez, and a compensation draft pick, according to the Cardinals. Tampa Bay had been looking for a power right handed bat due to a lefty heavy lineup, and they found it. The Rays traded RHP Austin Pruitt to the Houston Astros to make room on their 40 man roster.

   Rays general manager Erik Neander said of the trade that "This is a deal that we made because we have really strong evaluations on the players that we acquired, it's a deal that strengthens our Major League club not just in ’20, though both these players certainly fit really well in our mix, but it’s something that strengthens us for years to come." Neander said of Martinez that "In a pursuit of upgrading our lineup against left-handed pitching and upgrading from the right side, he’s someone that really fits us well in that regard, and [we] believe the numbers he put up last year are not as representative of who he is as a hitter and believe he’s closer to what we saw the two prior years, beyond that, by all accounts, wonderful teammate, wonderful leadership in the clubhouse. Really could bring a group together, and that was something that was important as we were looking for ways to round up our club here."

   Martinez has long been considered an AL player due to his below average defense in the outfield, making him a DH candidate in Tampa's lineup. He does have a solid bat, hitting .269 with 10 homers in 373 plate appearances in 2019. He's hit .296 with 41 homers over the last 3 seasons. He'll be payed $2.125 million in 2020. Arozarena, who is the Cardinals number 10 prospect, appeared in 19 games with the Cardinals last season, batting an even .300. In Triple A, he hit .358 with 12 homers. He now becomes the Rays number 12 prospect.


   Liberatore was the 4th ranked prospect in the Rays system, and was 41st in the majors. He'll now become the 3rd ranked prospect in the Cardinals system. He had a 3.10 ERA with 76 strikeouts at the Single A level last season. Rodriguez played in 10 games at the lowest minor league level, the gulf coast league. He hit .400 with two extra base hits and he struck out 6 times.