Double-A baseball player finds out he’s being traded while standing on second base mid-game
There’s a myriad of different ways to find out you’ve been traded, but freshly-minted Marlins prospect Nathan Martorella discovered a brand new one on Friday.
Martorella was sent to Miami as part of the trade that centered around the San Diego Padres acquiring second baseman Luis Arraez. The prospect had been playing with the Padres’ Double-A affiliate, the San Antonio Missions.
That’s where Martorella found out about the trade in unique fashion. He was standing on second base, when a pinch runner was called for, and that would be the end of his time with the Padres organization. Check out the video of the entire situation unfolding below, in all it’s glory.
“In the top of the third inning, now-Marlins prospect Nathan Martorella was on second base when he was lifted for a pinch-runner. He pointed to himself as if to say, ‘Who, me?’ before exiting the field,” wrote Allison Mast of MLB.com. “Shortly thereafter, Martorella and teammate Jakob Marsee gathered their equipment and headed to the clubhouse, hugging teammates and coaches along the way.
“The two were traded — with fellow Padres prospect Dillon Head and right-handed reliever Woo-Suk Go — to the Marlins for second baseman Luis Arraez and cash considerations on Saturday.”
Of course, Martorella is excited about the Marlins now, but it certainly was a surprising experience, for the players and for the fans in attendance. However, as Mast pointed out, it goes to show anything is on the table at a minor league baseball game.
Time will tell how Nathan Martorella’s career turns out, but if he ends up being a star for the Miami Marlins, this could end up being one of those stories told for a very long time.
At the moment, the Marlins are 9-25 on the 2024 season, while the Padres are 17-18, looking to stay above .500 moving forward.