Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
Report: 'Everyone Was Asking' For Orelvis Martinez at Trade Deadline
The Blue Jays had a hot commodity at the 2021 MLB trade deadline.
"Everyone was asking" Toronto for infield prospect Orelvis Martinez, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported, but the Blue Jays decided to hold on to the 19-year-old Dominican.
Toronto dealt away some of their top prospects, but when it came to Martinez, "conversations started and stopped there," Passan wrote.
After dealing Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson, Martinez slid up to No. 4 on Toronto's MLB.com Top Prospect list. On a 20-80 scale, MLB.com grades Martinez with a 55 hit-tool, 60 power, and a 60 arm, tagging him with a 2023 estimated big league debut date. In the latest Baseball America Top 100 list, Martinez slid up to No. 58, also ranked as Toronto's fourth-best prospect.
"The Blue Jays still believe he can stick at shortstop due to his fluid and efficient defensive motions," MLB.com's scouting report reads. "He’ll continue to see time at third base, too, where his plus arm is fully capable of making the throw across the diamond."
In 71 games for single-A Dunedin, Martinez flashed unmatched in-game power. In 236 plate appearances, he slashed .279/.369/.572 with 19 homers, 68 RBI, and 22 doubles. The right-handed hitter earned a promotion to high-A Vancouver earlier this week and homered in his first game.
Martinez is one of five infielders in Toronto's Top 10 prospects, even after dealing Martin, but he may be rising to the top.
"In a loaded Blue Jays system," Passan wrote, "He might be the best of the bunch."
Further Reading:
'The Right Fit': Gunnar Hoglund Joins the Blue Jays
Atkins: Trade Market, Nate Pearson, and Other Press Conference Notes
