Renteria Sure To Shake Things Up
By Robert Sabbath
The Signal & Urbanite
February 21, 2006
Edgar Renteria is sure to get a lot of attention over the next few weeks. The Braves acquired Renteria with confidence that he will be capable to fill Rafael Furcal's shoes at shortstop. There are plenty of people who will be looking to see if his disappointing season last year in Boston was indeed a fluke.
Edgar Renteria was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Andy Marte on Thursday, December 8, 2005. It was Braves general manager, John Schuerholz's biggest splash of the off-season and one that could have the Atlanta fans quickly forgetting about the departure of their former shortstop Furcal.
When Furcal chose to sign with the Dodgers, Schuerholz says he immediately began searching for the "highest quality shortstop" available. In Renteria, he's got a 30 year-old player who has won a world championship, two Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger Awards. Along the way, he's been named to four All-Star teams and been regarded by most scouts as one of the game's premiere short stops.
Over the course of his career, Renteria has been a steadier fielder than Furcal. He will not steal as many bases as Furcal, but Edgar is a .288 lifetime hitter, and Furcal .284. Plus, Renteria has much more pop and power in his bat and twice as many postseason at bats.
Not only have the Braves replaced Furcal, but they also have managed an upgrade.
But it was just last winter that Renteria signed a four-year, $40 million deal with the Red Sox. Those same Boston fans who were singing his praises a year ago quickly turned after he hit just .228 in April. The boos got louder during a season in which he committed a career-high 30 errors.
Through the boos, Renteria never lost his confidence. In fact, he bounced back to hit .342 and produce 20 RBIs in August.
"He never tipped his hand that he never wanted to be there," agent Jeff Lane said. "It wasn't like he was calling me in June and saying, 'These people are crazy, get me the heck out of here.' He didn't say anything like that. I consider him like a lunch pail guy; show up, let's play and let's win and let's go home."
It really seemed like Boston simply wasn't a good fit for him.
Renteria had spent his previous nine seasons before Boston in the National League. As a rookie in 1997, he delivered the 11th-inning game-winning single in Game 7 that gave the Marlins the World Series title. Braves third base coach, Fredi Gonzalez also coached Renteria in the Marlins' Minor League system.
During six seasons with the Cardinals, he became a fan favorite in St. Louis. Never once did he hear fans boo him before they resoundingly did in Boston last year. Between 2002-2004 with the Cardinals, Renteria hit .297 and averaged 10 homers and 80 RBIs per season. He won two Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Slugger awards in those three seasons.
Renteria also has averaged 153 games played over the past four seasons. The overwhelming thought in Atlanta is that in a warmer climate and under the guide of an ever-encouraging manager Bobby Cox, Renteria will quickly regain all-star form.
"We looked at him during his time in the National League and feel when he gets back to the National League in Atlanta, the Renteria of old will resurface and that's that player we'll have," Schuerholz said.
People from the baseball world speak so glowingly of the shortstop's ability to be a great clubhouse influence. "What we know is in the clubhouse, his teammates, his managers and his coaches will tell you this is the best teammate there is." Schuerholz said, "Everyone who has ever played with him or been affiliated with him in organizations speaks so highly of his character, his leadership, his impact on his teammates and the way he goes about the game."
Acquiring a player of Renteria's caliber forced the Braves to dip into their farm system and say goodbye to Andy Marte. Marte is a player of truly significant potential. But this is also part of the beauty of the Braves organization. Players of significant potential keep getting moved out of the minors, either to fill the needs of the Major League club, like the Braves did last year with the "Baby Braves," or to be available in trades for established talent, as Marte was here for Renteria.
"As painful as it is to trade a player of Marte's caliber, it needed to be done," Schuerholz said.
"I think [Marte] can play in the big leagues right now," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "Unfortunately, he's a third baseman and so is Chipper Jones."
The deal worked out even better for the Braves because in addition to getting a player of Renteria's stature, they got money from the Red Sox. Renteria is owed $26 million over the next three years as part of the original four-year deal he signed with Boston. He also has an $11 million option for the 2009 season.
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