just kind of remarkable that the immediate and biggest get for the Rays in the trade was Jose Martinez. Reading back at MLB trade rumors write up seems Arozarena could hit in the minors but had not established himself in the majors. I wonder how much of his performance is that teams haven't figured out how to attack him yet, and whether there will need to be a cycle of him adjusting to different pitching before we figure out how he will be in the long run. It does seem the deal was structured to give the Rays 2 pieces plus a significantly improved draft choice while the Cards got a PP (from TINSTAAPP) and a hitter who could be an asset down the road if he can stick at catcher.
Pretty much, and to get Martinez to the AL where he could DH. I doubt the Cardinals would have made that trade if they knew they could have DHed Martinez. He's a remarkable guy: looks like he has the body and skills to play either 1B or a corner OF, yet he's laughably abysmal at any defensive position.
