The Rays have acquired infielder Pedro Martinez, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Martinez is one of two players to be named later the Rays received from the Cubs in the teams’ deal Aug. 30 deal centering on Jose Martinez. The identity of the other player still isn’t known.
Pedro Martinez, who’s just 19 years old, joined the Cubs as an international free agent from Venezuela in 2018. He spent that season and last year producing quality numbers between rookie and low-A ball, where he combined for a .310/.393/.422 line with four home runs and 50 stolen bases on 69 attempts over 461 plate appearances.
While he’s still a ways from the majors, Martinez did rank as a well-regarded Cubs prospect before they traded him. MLB.com and FanGraphs are among the outlets that have favorable views of Martinez, as the former placed him 14th in the Cubs’ system and the latter ranked him 22nd. FanGraphs complimented the switch-hitting Martinez’s “bat-to-ball skills” and suggested he could at least turn into a role player in the majors.
Top 30 prospect for a guy who’s not even playing, rays at it again.
To be fair the Cubs system is potentially the worst one in the game. Obviously rankings are very fluid and vary greatly but getting a top 30 from them is not the same as getting a top 30 from a team like the Padres.
Cubs system currently ranks #21. Far from the worst in MLB. That falls to Milwaukee per BBA. After this past summers draft with #4 Ed Howard, #10 Burl Carraway, #20 Jordan Nwogu they’ll be in mid to upper teens.
I doubt the Cubs pipeline climbs until their players show something on the field of competition.
All 30 organizations have talent.
Cubs are #21 farm system in MLB, far from the worst. That dubious honor goes to Milwaukee per Baseball America. After this years June draft, they added to their system #4 Ed Howard, #10 Burl Carraway, #20 Jordan Nwogu in their first 3 rounds. All rankings in Cubs system. Their system should be ranked in middle to late teens. Far, far from bottom.
Getting anything for Jose Martinez is a win.
IStill a lottery ticket, but nice for TB to have acquired a tools, potentially multi-dimensional contributor in exchange for a suddenly superfluous career DH.
The Rays are the last team I’d trade with. They almost always fleece the other party.
I’m glad the Padres didn’t talk to you last November.
So who’s going to tell the Rays FO it’s not THAT Pedro Martinez?
Last year in the minors, he played three different infield positions and struck out in more than a quarter of his plate appearances. That certainly sounds like a guy the Rays would mean to acquire.
I thought the Rays would’ve steered clear after what he did to Don Zimmer…
Theo Epstein trading premier players again smh.
I wonder if the rays are sending the ghost of Don Zimmer to the cubs?
No.14 prospect for someone who wasn’t hitting at all and they just sent down. The Rays beat writer reported this when the trade went down that the prospects were a big reason the trade happened and wasn’t salary related. But Martinez was practically dead salary anyways and now we get a good prospect to add to our system. Rays doing rays things, liberatore trade looking better and better
They essentially traded a Top 50 Overall prospect and another player for a 4th OF, a mediocre farm system’s 14th best prospect & a PTBNL
Yeh, Rays totally weren’t taken to the cleaner
Curious who the 4th OF is? A 14 best prospect who is super young and has all the signs of continuing to progress and another prospect coming from the cubs as well. And its not often the rays miss on a trade there is obviously something they didn’t care for too much about liberatore.
Arozarena has hit very well for the Rays in the sample sized at-bats he’s received so far, the competitive pick they received was used for a player with solid athleticism, and Liberatore has not even pitched this year.
In reality, rather then on paper, the Rays have made off very well from that trade thus far. How things develop for all the players mentioned remains to be seen.
The Rays said from the beginning Arozarena was the big target in that trade for Martinez and they thought he was a cornerstone player with huge potential and so far has looked the part and then some. Yes small sample size but he looks extremely good, another rays robbery. Giving up one pitcher and some change for 30 places higher in the draft a potential 30/30/100 outfielder and 2 prospects seems like a great deal to me
The Cubs just traded their 22nd best prospect (Fangraphs) for a guy who has zero hits, three K’s, one walk in his last 19 plate appearances and was optioned recently because he was struggling so badly.
but 1225—the Cubs have Martinez under control until 2023—-plenty of time to get a hit.
I’m just impressed they didn’t make a joke or Pedro reference during this entire post. That’s mad restraint if I’ve ever seen it
Theo & Co. have ruined the Cubs by signing all these cheap garbage players that were rejects from other organizations and giving away the future for trash like Jose Martinez. Pedro Martinez will be the next Trea Turner.
You can take $10 million and buy one decent player or you can buy 10 garbage players for a million each and end up releasing all of them and wasting all of your money… and that’s what they do every freaking time. I’m starting to realize why he’s called dumpster diving Theo around here.
It’s the bad big signings & bad Trades that have hurt them but what’s killed them is The Draft. The cubs have to many Hr or strike out hitters
He has to dumpster dive now because of all the garbage contracts he gave up to players like Kimbrel and heyward. He has no choice but to dumpster dive
That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you guys! Now everyone is realizing this 3 years AFTER the point
Perhaps this will turn out to be the cubs version of the Tatis trade lol.
Theo’s International signings have been great so I hate when he Trades those players.. Thanks Theo and company for 2016 but it’s time you move on. At this rate I feel like us cubs fans are a few years away from becoming the lovable losers again
If the pipeline pieces aren’t more useful in 2021 for Chicago, replace Theo with a second from the Rays or Dodgers.
Capone—-its a cycle—-look at all the champs from this decade, especially before the Cubs
Giants—-really bad
Royals—-terrible
Red Sox—-awful
Yes the Cardinals won in that little stretch—-but if Nelson Cruz just catches a fly all the Rangers are champs and they now stink, too.
You are right—-they probably are actually closer than a few years away from being lovable losers again—-but the trade off of a World Series and a stretch of six or seven years of really contending is probably something most fans would take.
At least the Royals have some really good, young prospects in their system (Singer, Lacy, Witt, etc). The Red Sox are just AWFUL right now. I’d trade the entire Sox roster (majors & farm) for the Royals straight up right now!
Exactly mantooth——the Royals are back on that side of the cycle….it took a long time for the Moose, Gordon, Hos to take hold—I’m sure if they are World Series contenders four to six years from now they will be happy.
Pedro Martinez is back but probably won’t be as good as his namesake
That’s gonna suck for the Rays when they play his daddy, the Yankees.
P.S. love the Don Zimmer jokes.
I dont see a big deal with this. Cubs have a handful of infielders in their system that were expendable. Javier Baez and Nico Hoerner lead the charge for the future with Ed Howard coming in 4 years. Unless Pedro Martinez turns out to be Tatis Jr x2. Cubs still win this trade. They can keep Jose on the cheap at 3-7mil a year(that could be too rich for the Ricketts blood though or they can flip him for cash.
Players that are quality at league-minimum cover for other flaws.