Braves Strike In Short Order
Former all-star Renteria quickly replaces Furcal
By David O'Brien
December 09, 2005
Dallas --- They left the winter meetings still searching for a
closer, but
Braves officials were buoyant Thursday after completing a trade for Red
Sox
shortstop Edgar Renteria, a four-time All-Star the Braves will owe only
$18
million over three seasons.
Atlanta sent third-base prospect Andy Marte to the Red Sox, who
will pay $11
million of the $29 million left on a four-year, $40 million contract
Renteria
signed with Boston last winter --- including a $3 million buyout if a
2009 club
option isn't exercised.
"We're delighted --- we could not have asked for more," said
Braves general
manager John Schuerholz, who needed only a few days to replace
shortstop Rafael
Furcal, who left the Braves for a three-year, $39 million deal with the
Dodgers.
The Braves will pay the 30-year-old Renteria an annual average of
$6 million
--- less than half of what the Dodgers will pay Furcal, and $2 million
below the
average annual value of the four-year, $32 million offer the Braves
made to
their former shortstop.
"As painful as it was to trade a player of Andy Marte's caliber,
it needed to
be done," Schuerholz said. "We came here to acquire a shortstop, a
first-class,
championship-caliber shortstop. We've done that. We're working on some
other
pieces for our team, but this is a big piece of the puzzle."
Renteria, expected to be introduced at an Atlanta news conference
Monday or
Tuesday, was home in Colombia and couldn't be reached for comment.
Schuerholz
spoke with him briefly and said the former Florida and St. Louis star
was
excited about going to Atlanta.
He's a .288 career hitter in 10 seasons and has averaged 11
homers, 35
doubles and 74 RBIs over the past seven.
He is, however, coming off his worst season. The two-time Gold
Glove winner
had a career-high 30 errors, career-low nine stolen bases and eight
homers, his
fewest since 1998.
He drove in 70 runs after averaging 85 RBIs in the prior three
seasons with
St. Louis. In 2003, he hit .330 with 13 homers and 100 RBIs and won a
second
straight Gold Glove.
"The Braves feel he'll become the shortstop he was in his earlier
days," said
Red Sox special adviser Bill Lajoie, point man for their GM-less
negotiating
team in Dallas. "It could have been the field [responsible for some
errors]. I'm
not saying we have a bad field, but he wasn't used to playing on that
surface.
...
"He was laying back on the ball, and there was caution throwing
it. I don't
know why it happened, but it did." Some observers said Renteria looked
heavier,
slower and suddenly much older last season, but the Braves are
confident he will
revert to his pre-Boston form.
"We think getting back to the National League, in our environment
in Atlanta,
under Bobby Cox's guidance, this guy will flourish," Schuerholz said.
"All of
our major league scouts who have seen him play pretty much reached the
same
[conclusion] --- get him back in the National League, get him in a warm
climate,
in our environment, and he'll flourish.
"Some people in the baseball industry like this guy better than
any
shortstop," Schuerholz said. "Bobby is absolutely thrilled with this.
He always
has [liked Renteria], and everyone who's ever played with him or been
affiliated
with him in organizations speaks so highly of his character, his
leadership, his
impact on his teammates, the way he goes about the game."
Renteria has hit second in the lineup for most of his career, but
also
thrived in the sixth spot in powerful Cardinals lineups. Cox said this
week he
might try Marcus Giles in the leadoff spot or experiment with others if
the
Braves don't have a proven leadoff man.
Renteria is known for his ability to hit the ball the other way,
advance
runners and not swing for the fences when runners are in scoring
position. He's
had a penchant for big hits, including the winning two-out,
bases-loaded single
in the 11th inning of the 1997 World Series for Florida against
Cleveland.
"I love him," said Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who
managed that 1997
Florida team. "I loved him a lot at 12:03 that night," Leyland added,
referring
to the precise time of Renteria's dramatic single.
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