I'm still trying to figure out what in the hell was swirling around John Schuerholz's brain when he made this deal today. Really, it's been bothering me the whole day. How do you explain trading away a prospect whom scouts and statheads alike have projected to be the next Miguel Cabrera or David Wright -- maybe even better -- for the age 30-32 seasons of an overrated, easily replaceable shortstop like Edgar Renteria?

Some baseball websites are saying that the kicker in this deal is that the Red Sox wil be paying $11 million of the remaining $26 million of Renteria's contract. That's supposed to be what makes this trade a steal for Atlanta -- I don't see it, and honestly, I couldn't care less about the cash. What's $11 million over three seasons if it means having to lose a potential superstar?

I'm sure the Braves aren't finished dealing for other players -- at least I hope they aren't -- but looking at the team today, it's gotten worse, not better. Before, we had Rafael Furcal and Andy Marte. Now we have Edgar Renteria. That's disappointing. And here's the thing, I'm still glad we didn't sign Furcal to that ridiculous contract the Dodgers signed him to, but if giving him $13 million a year would've kept Marte in a Braves uniform, I would've been all for it. That's how low I am on Renteria, and how much I was looking forward to rooting for Marte.

I'm hoping something new comes up within the next few days that nobody knows about right now except the Braves front office, because on the surface, this trade looks like a panic move by Schuerholz.

I know. The last time a Schuerholz trade was perceived as a panic move, the Braves dealt Kevin Millwood to the Phillies for Johnny Estrada, and Johnny Estrada went crazy in his first year with Atlanta and hit .314/.378/.450. A lot of people would point to that as a reason why critics of this Renteria/Marte deal should ease up and give Schuerholz the benefit of the doubt. But let's be honest here -- NOBODY, not even Schuerholz, thought that Johnny Estrada could hit anything close to .314/.378/.450. That's because everybody knew Johnny Estrada wasn't that good. In fact, Estrada proved it last season, falling back to earth, putting up a Neifi Perezian batting line, and showing his 2004 performance was a colossal fluke.

Besides that, the two trades just aren't comparable. Estrada was basically an unknown entity when he arrived in Atlanta, which is why everyone was so shocked when he hit .300. But with Renteria, we already know what he'll do because we've seen him play for 10 seasons. He's not going to surprise anyone the way Estrada did. He is what he is -- a guy who consistently hits .280/.330/.420.

Which brings us to the other side of the coin. If Schuerholz really did pull another Schuerholz here, it's gotta mean something's wrong with Marte. It's entirely possible, of course, since Marte is still only a prospect, not a player who's proven what he can do in the big leagues, but what is it? What suddenly happened to Marte? Besides the brief 57 at-bat cup of coffee he got last season -- when he hit .140 -- I haven't read or heard anything negative about him until this trade. Actually, I still haven't read or heard anything negative about him, but the implication, obviously, is there.

Any guesses? This is still the kid who hit .275/.372/.506 and 20 home runs in Triple-A when he was 21, which is a pretty freakin big deal.