Luis Arraez was traded to the San Diego Padres just minutes before he was supposed to lead off for the Miami Marlins.
But one of the prospects he was traded for learned of the news when he was actually playing.
Nathan Martorella entered Friday night as a prospect for the Padres, trying to make a name for himself with the San Antonio Missions, San Diego’s Double-A affiliate.
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Nathan Martorella, #39 of the San Diego Padres, in the field during the eighth inning of a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch on February 28, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona.
The trade seemingly came out of nowhere. There had been no rumblings of any move, and considering that Arrzez and Martorella were both in their respective lineups, they obviously didn’t know much was coming either. It’s also not like we’re near the July 31 trade deadline.
But one could tell that Martorella was extremely surprised.
In the top of the third inning, not exactly when a pinch-runner would be used, Martorella was taken out of the game while standing on second base, but he looked around and even pointed at himself to make sure it was he who was supposed to come off the field.
Martorella jogged off the field, still confused, but it seemed like he got word once he entered the dugout.
Nathan Martorella, #39 of the San Diego Padres, bats during the eighth inning of a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch on February 28, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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He and another player, Jakob Marsee, then grabbed their gear and made their way to the other side of the field where the clubhouses were.
Marotella and another player hugged several players and coaches on the walk, and exited the field.
The prospects, along with two others, were sent to Miami for the two-time defending batting champion. Arraez hit an MLB-leading .354 last season during his first year with the Marlins, who acquired him from the Minnesota Twins after he won the American League batting title in 2022 with a .316 average.
The Venezuelan infielder boasted a .400 average into late June, a feat no one had accomplished since 2008. (Ted Williams remains the last player to hit .400 in a season, way back in 1941.)
Miami Marlins’ Luis Arraez (3) flips his bat after hitting the go-ahead run to win the game in the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Sunday, July 23, 2023, in Miami. The Marlins defeated the Rockies 3-2. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
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Arraez finished in eighth in NL MVP voting last year and 13th in the AL vote in 2022, earning a Silver Slugger Award at second base each season.
This season, so far, he is “only” hitting .299.
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