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Atlanta Braves trade Gwinnett outfielder Ryan LaMarre to Twins

By Clint Manry

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 21: Ryan LaMarre #24 of the Minnesota Twins makes a catch in center field of the ball hit by Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of the game on June 21, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 21: Ryan LaMarre #24 of the Minnesota Twins makes a catch in center field of the ball hit by Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of the game on June 21, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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On Sunday morning, the Atlanta Braves made a deal with the Minnesota Twins, trading the Stripers’ Ryan LaMarre.

Well, at least one Stripers’ player isn’t done playing baseball this season. Before noon on Sunday, the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins agreed on a deal sending LaMarre to the Twins in exchange for cash.

The Twins immediately added LaMarre to their 40-man roster, though the 30-year-old can only play during the regular season — he isn’t postseason-eligible in 2019.

Any player acquired outside of a team’s organization after September 1, is no longer eligible for postseason play.

Regardless, LaMarre has been given an opportunity to potentially showcase his talents, coming off an excellent season in Triple-A with Gwinnett.

In 112 games with the Stripers in 2019, LaMarre slashed .311/.380/.477 with 9 home runs and 24 doubles, good for a well-above average 121 wRC+.

LaMarre also hit a leadoff home run for Gwinnett this past Thursday, in the Stripers’ Game 2 loss to Columbus.

LaMarre will return to a team he’s familiar with, as he played for the Twins during the first half of the 2018 season (43 games). During his time with Minnesota, LaMarre hit .263, though he only totaled 5 XBH.

Once the Twins’ Jorge Polanco was deemed healthy, Minnesota DFA’d LaMarre in July of that 2018 season, but within a week he was picked up by the Chicago White Sox. LaMarre spent the rest of the year with Chicago, playing in 33 games and hitting .303 with 8 XBHs.

After the 2018 season, the Atlanta Braves signed LaMarre to a minor league deal, a small November move that no one really saw coming. At that time, the major league bench was rather uninspiring and LaMarre looked to be a perfect depth piece.

Despite a bit of optimism by a few Braves’ fans, LaMarre never got a shot at the major league level while with the Braves’ organization. The improvements to the bench this season had a lot to do with that.

The Twins just suffered a blow, thanks to a failed drug test by one of their best starting pitchers this season, Michael Pineda. LaMarre will take Pineda’s roster spot, who was suspended 60 games this past Saturday.

Hopefully LaMarre lands on his feet and plays well for the Twins, possibly even earning himself a job.

With the advancement of Cristian Pache and Drew Waters, plus the cup of coffee that Rafael Ortega is currently enjoying this season, there really wasn’t much of a future for LaMarre with the Braves.

Next. 2020 rotation. dark

As we see season after season: one team’s minor league depth can be another team’s third or fourth outfielder. The Atlanta Braves killed two birds with one stone on Sunday, acquiring some cash and moving a 30-year-old they no longer needed.

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