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We have treasured Carlos Martinez here at Viva el Birdos for quite some time. Heck, we even made a day for him. For the past two seasons, not only has Carlos been invaluable as a starter, but his fun-loving personality has made him a fan favorite as well.
But back to that starter thing.
Carlos has been excellent. So excellent, Bernie Miklasz of 101 ESPN has called him the most "untouchable" player in the Cardinals organization. As in, you just don't trade the guy. And here's why:
Using the Baseball Reference version of WAR, only 10 starters have topped Martinez' 7.5 wins above replacement since the start of last season: Kershaw, Greinke, Arrieta, Scherzer, Bumgarner, Cole Hamels, deGrom, Johnny Cueto, Dallas Keutchel and David Price.
And that is just one of the reasons listed.
Carlos is the best.
Carlos Martinez: The Young Gem of the St. Louis Cardinals | 101Sports.com
what else is going on in baseball...
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- MLB Rumors | MLBTradeRumors.com
- The MLB trade deadline should have been way more interesting, but these pitchers messed everything up | SBNation.com
- Alex Rodriguez adjusts to life on the New York Yankees' bench | Yankees Blog | ESPN
- The MLB Closers Best At Cleaning Up Their Own Messes | FiveThirtyEight
what the cardinals are up to...
- St. Louis Cardinals lose season's best showdown but bounce back to win | St Louis Cardinals | ESPN
- Jeurys Familia's save streak snapped as Mets suffer disheartening loss | Mets Blog | ESPN
- Scenes from a happy flight from New York | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- Hype building for prospect Reyes and inevitable promotion | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- Carlos Martinez: The Young Gem of the St. Louis Cardinals | 101Sports.com
KNOW THINE ENEMY...
the miami marlins
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- Series preview: Cardinals vs. Marlins, in Miami | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- Miami Marlins reveal All-Star Game logo, Stanton subsequently goes deep | Fish Stripes
- A Miami Marlins Community | Fish Stripes
the nl central
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- Luck Has Not Been Jason Heyward’s Problem | FanGraphs Baseball
- Cubs might not be done adding, talking Josh Reddick trade | SBNation.com
- Better late than never, Cubs' offense busts out again | Chicago Cubs Blog | ESPN
- Brewers Trade Rumors: "Momentum Building" towards a Lucroy Trade | Brew Crew Ball