Though Matheny replaced Marrero as the starter in 2000, Marrero deserves to be remembered as more than just one of the players included in the trade that acquired Adam Wainwright from the Atlanta Braves.

Over a nine-season Major League career, Marrero appeared in 724 games, batting .243 with 463 hits, 66 home runs, 261 RBIs, and 56 stolen bases. He was a former catcher who became a true utility regular—capable of contributing offensively while moving around the diamond—and his baseball identity was shaped in St. Louis, where the St. Louis Cardinals drafted him, developed him, and relied on him during a transitional era.

Before injuries and role changes defined his big-league career, Marrero was one of the Cardinals’ most highly regarded prospects of the late 1990s.

In 1997, Baseball America ranked Marrero as the No. 4 prospect in the Cardinals system, trailing only pitchers Matt Morris and Braden Looper, along with infield prospect Dmitri Young. Nationally, Marrero ranked 37th overall—an impressive placement given the depth at the top of that list, which included future stars such as Andruw Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Todd Helton, Scott Rolen, Nomar Garciaparra, Kerry Wood, and Paul Konerko.

That ranking made Marrero the top catching prospect in baseball entering the 1997 season—a reflection of both his defensive reputation and the belief that his bat would play at the major-league level.

Marrero entered spring training in 1998 with a clear goal. At age 24, he hoped to win a job in St. Louis and begin converting prospect status into an everyday Major League role.

Instead, a routine physical revealed a growth at the base of his neck. Tests showed malignant cells. On March 6, 1998, Marrero underwent surgery in St. Louis to have his thyroid removed.

Two days later, he was back at the Cardinals’ spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida – a comeback that resonated throughout the clubhouse.

After Marrero’s fifth game back in April – a night in which he singled, doubled, stole third base, and repeatedly blocked balls in the dirt – teammate Mark McGwire shifted the spotlight away from himself and toward Marrero.

“It’s really remarkable. It’s a great story,” McGwire said. “I wish the nation would be aware of what happened to him. People talk about the things I do. They should be talking about the story of Eli Marrero. That’s a little more important. It’s a life-and-death situation.”

At a time when baseball’s national attention was consumed by the home run chase, Marrero’s return served as a reminder that perseverance matters.

Marrero did go on to play several more seasons with the Cardinals, but the path never unfolded the way prospect rankings once suggested.

Following his bout with thyroid cancer, it was noted in several accounts that Marrero struggled at times to maintain his stamina over the course of a full season. He appeared in more than 100 games for St. Louis only twice, and he never fully established himself as the club’s long-term starting catcher.

Instead, manager Tony La Russa used Marrero in the way he often used intelligent, adaptable players: everywhere. Catcher. First base. Left field. Right field. Marrero bounced between positions depending on matchups, injuries, and roster needs.

On September 3, 2001, Marrero was behind the plate for Bud Smith’s no-hitter, one of the most unexpected masterpieces in Cardinals lore. For a former top catching prospect whose career had evolved into something different, it was a fitting reminder that his defensive foundation still mattered.

Over his Cardinals tenure from 1997 through 2003, Marrero appeared in 525 games, batting .238 with 43 home runs, 187 RBIs, 70 doubles, and 46 stolen bases. His most complete season came in 2002, when he provided steady right-handed power and defensive flexibility while moving around the diamond.

The following season brought one of his most significant offensive contributions on the postseason stage. In Game 3 of the 2002 National League Championship Series at Pacific Bell Park, the Cardinals trailed the San Francisco Giants two games to none. After St. Louis built an early lead, Barry Bonds tied the game in the fifth inning with a dramatic three-run splash hit into McCovey Cove. The score stood 4–4 entering the sixth. Leading off the inning against reliever Jay Witasick, Marrero launched a solo home run that restored the Cardinals’ advantage. It proved to be the decisive run in a 5–4 victory, with Jason Isringhausen closing the door in the ninth. Marrero’s swing gave St. Louis the lead for good and cut the Giants’ series deficit to 2–1. In a postseason often defined by marquee names, it was Marrero who delivered the pivotal blow that night.

The 2003 season marked his final year in St. Louis. As the roster evolved and younger pieces emerged, Marrero’s playing time diminished. That December, the Cardinals traded Marrero and outfielder J.D. Drew to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Jason Marquis, Ray King, and pitching prospect Adam Wainwright. Marrero was not the centerpiece of the deal, but he was part of the package that delivered one of the most important pitchers in modern Cardinals history. His departure became quietly intertwined with the franchise’s next era of success.

Freed from the daily uncertainty of role shifts, Marrero produced the finest offensive season of his career in 2004 with Atlanta. He hit .320 with a .374 on-base percentage and a .520 slugging percentage, demonstrating what his bat could accomplish with consistent at-bats. He later played for Kansas City, Baltimore, Colorado, and the New York Mets, appearing in 724 Major League games across nine seasons and finishing with a .243 batting average, 66 home runs, 261 RBIs, and 56 stolen bases.

In 2007, Marrero returned to the Cardinals organization, though he did not make the club out of spring training and appeared in just one game with Triple-A Memphis before being released. He concluded his playing career internationally in the Puerto Rican Winter League and the Caribbean Series before transitioning into coaching.

Eli Marrero’s Cardinals tenure may not align perfectly with the trajectory once projected for him in the late 1990s. He did not become the franchise catcher for a decade. Yet his story in St. Louis remains layered and meaningful. He was a top prospect in a loaded era. He overcame a life-threatening illness. He adapted when his role shifted. He caught a no-hitter in 2001. He delivered a decisive home run in the 2002 NLCS. He provided power, speed, and versatility during a period of transition. And he played a part—quiet but significant—in a trade that reshaped the franchise’s future.

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In Drew, the defending National League East champion Braves got an outfielder they believed could replace Gary Sheffield, who was now a free agent. The Cardinals, meanwhile, sought to bolster their pitching depth while under a directive from ownership to reduce payroll to approximately $80 million.^[1]

“Economics are an important part of this,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “A lot of people draw a negative from this, but our payroll is $80 million. That’s a lot of money. I know a lot of managers who are friends with payrolls of 50, 40, 30 million dollars. Our problem is our good players have good years and keep making more money.”^[2]

The Cardinals cut their payroll approximately $5.4 million with the trade. Drew was arbitration-eligible for 2004 and expected to receive at least $4 million.^[3] Marrero, who received a two-year, $4.5 million contract following the 2002 season after he hit .262/.327/.451 with a career-high 18 homers, 66 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases, was scheduled to make $3 million in 2004.^[4]

Meanwhile, King was slated to make $900,000 after the Braves assumed his option in November, and Marquis was arbitration-eligible after making $368,000 in 2003 while splitting the season between Atlanta and Class AAA Richmond.^[5]

With Drew and Marrero’s salaries off the books, the trade freed up the Cardinals to acquire additional pitching ahead of the 2004 season. The risk, of course, was that Drew would finally live up to his potential.

“Our biggest concern is that this could be his breakout year,” Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said. “This is something we agonized over for a long time – whether we should try to trade him or not, or try to sign him long term. We needed pitching. We had only a few chips we could use to acquire it. With our luck, it’ll be this year.”^[6]

The Cardinals were actually the third team to draft Drew when they selected him fifth overall in the 1998 amateur draft. In 1994, the Giants chose him out of Lowndes County High School but failed to sign him. In 1997, Drew created a stir when the Phillies selected him second overall, but he declined their $2.6 million contract offer. Instead, he played a season of independent baseball before the Cardinals drafted him the following year and gave him a $7 million contract.

Before giving Drew that contract, Cardinals team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. touched base with scout Fred McAllister for one last discussion.

“Best natural hitter I’ve ever seen,” McAllister told DeWitt.

Better than Mays? Mantle? Aaron? Musial?

“Yes,” McAllister said.^[7]

Unfortunately, Drew was dogged by six stints on the disabled list and a reputation for playing with an intensity somewhere below 100%. In 2000, the 24-year-old Drew appeared to have a breakout season, batting .295/.401/.479 with 18 homers, 57 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases.

Despite missing time with a broken hand in 2001, he hit .323/.414/.613 with 27 homers and 73 RBIs. It proved to be his best season in St. Louis. A patellar tendon injury in 2002 altered his swing and made it difficult for him to make it through a full nine innings.

In 2003, oblique, hip, and back strains limited Drew to 100 games.

“The Braves need to see what I can do when I’m healthy, and I want to find out myself,” he said.^[8]

Drew learned of the trade when Jocketty called him at his parents’ home in Hahira, Georgia, just north of the Florida state line.^[9]

“He’s a guy that has been touted with all kinds of talent through the years,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “Unfortunately, he’s had all kinds of injuries, but he’s the kind of player who could be an all-star.”^[10]

“If he’s healthy and plays the full year, we think he’s a .290 or .300 hitter with 35 homers and 120 RBIs,” Braves general manager John Schuerholz said.^[11]

In Marrero, the Braves obtained a right-handed bat who could play catcher, first base, and the outfield. After his breakout 2002 season, injuries limited the 29-year-old Marrero to just 41 games. He batted just .224 with two homers and 20 RBIs.

“I think he’ll see a lot of playing time,” Cox said. “He’s not just a throw-in. We really wanted him.”^[12]

Marquis, 25, was expected to immediately slot into the Cardinals’ starting rotation. In 96 games in Atlanta – including 40 starts – Marquis had gone 14-15 with a 4.45 ERA. He pitched just 40 2/3 major-league innings in 2003, posting a 5.53 ERA, and butted heads with Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone after he lost his rotation spot.^[13]

Just as the Braves expected Drew to reach new heights in Atlanta, the Cardinals believed Marquis could reach his potential in St. Louis.

“Look at his age; look at his athleticism; look at his arm. That’s a good value,” La Russa said. “I think we may have had to make a deal just to get some flexibility. Instead, we made a deal where we have flexibility and three arms.”[14]

“I’m excited about him,” Jocketty said. “I really think he has a chance to be pretty good.”[15]

In King, the Cardinals obtained a rubber-armed left-hander who had appeared in 80 games for the Braves in 2003, posting a 3.51 ERA. In each of his last three seasons, King had appeared in at least 76 games.

“I’m the type of pitcher when I get to the ballpark I expect to pitch; I want to pitch,” King said. “Hopefully I get in the game. Each season I set a goal to pitch in more games than I pitched the year before. I take pride in that.

“(Steve ) Kline is another durable guy. With Kline and me, we can work 162 games. I’m hoping I can come in in the seventh inning with one or two outs, then pitch the eighth to save another guy for the next situation. Hopefully, Kline and I can eat up one or two innings to get to Izzy (Jason Isringhausen) and not have to burn two or three guys every day.”[16]

In the 22-year-old Wainwright, the Cardinals found their pitcher of the future.

“Without him, there wasn’t a deal,” Jocketty said.^[17]

“We see him as a top-of-the-rotation guy in a couple of years,” he added.^[18]

Wainwright spent the 2003 season in Class AA Greenville of the Southern League. He went 10-8 with a 3.37 ERA and 128 strikeouts over 149 2/3 innings. Wainwright was expected to open the 2004 season in the Triple-A Memphis rotation.

“Adam was our No. 1 pitching prospect and that makes it tough to do,” Schuerholz said, “but under the circumstances, we had no choice.”[19]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz expressed hope for Wainwright’s future, but wasn’t convinced that La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan were capable of helping the young right-hander reach his full potential.

“Wainwright is a legitimately bright prospect and a potential steal for the Cardinals,” Miklasz wrote. “But if Duncan and La Russa are around beyond the 2004 season it may not matter, because they can’t develop young pitchers. Perhaps young Wainwright will be nurtured and saved by the next regime.”^[20]

Miklasz warned that while Drew might very well reach his incredible potential in Atlanta, that didn’t make it a bad trade for the Cardinals.

“The only risk in this transaction is that J.D. Drew finally will be aroused to compete. If so, he will give the Braves the incredible season the Cardinals waited for in vain,” Miklasz wrote. “… Even if Drew wins the Triple Crown next season, we must remember. The Cardinals wouldn’t have been able to re-sign him after next season. Drew was gone anyway. So at least they got something for him now.”[21]

Drew indeed had a big season for the Braves, batting .305/.436/.569 with a career-high 31 homers as well as 93 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. After the season, however, Drew signed a five-year, $55 million contract with the Dodgers. He played two seasons in Los Angeles before opting out of his contract to sign a five-year, $70 million deal with the Red Sox, where he played the remainder of his career. Drew retired following the 2011 season with 242 career homers and 795 RBIs.

Marrero also had a successful 2004 campaign in Atlanta, batting .320/.374/.520 with 10 homers and 40 RBIs in just 250 at-bats. After the season, the Braves traded him with cash to the Royals for Jorge Vasquez. Marrero played for the Royals and Orioles in 2005, then for the Rockies and Mets in 2006.

In November 2006, Marrero re-signed with the Cardinals, but appeared in just one Triple-A game before he was released in May.

Marquis won 42 games over three seasons in St. Louis. In 2004, he went 15-7 with a 3.71 ERA, helping the Cardinals capture the National League pennant. The following year, he went 13-14 with a 4.13 ERA. In 2006, Marquis went 14-16, leading the league in losses and home runs allowed (35). He did not pitch in the playoffs as the Cardinals captured their 10^th World Series championship.

After the season, Marquis signed a free-agent deal with the Cubs. After stops with the Nationals, Diamondbacks, Twins, Padres, and Reds, Marquis retired with 124 career wins.

As promised, King proved to be a workhorse for the Cardinals, appearing in 86 games in 2004 with a 2.61 ERA. That role continued in the playoffs, as he appeared in three NLDS games, four NLCS contests, and three World Series games.

King appeared in 77 more games in 2005, posting a 3.38 ERA in 40 innings. After the season, the Cardinals traded King to the Rockies for Aaron Miles and Larry Bigbie. King played his final game in 2008; he retired with a 3.46 ERA over 411 career innings.

Wainwright, of course, became the true gem of the deal for the Cardinals. In 2005 and 2006, he broke into the majors as a reliever and famously closed out the NLCS by striking out the Mets’ Carlos Beltran with a sweeping curveball. Wainwright saved four games that postseason in helping the Cardinals win the World Series.

Wainwright joined the starting rotation in 2007. In 2009, he won 19 games and placed third in the Cy Young Award voting. In 2010 and 2013, he placed second in the Cy Young Voting, and he placed third once again in 2014.

Following the 2023 season, Wainwright retired. Each of his 18 major-league seasons came with the Cardinals, and he retired with exactly 200 career wins, winning No. 200 in the final start of his career. He left the game with a 200-128 record, a 3.53 ERA, and 2,202 career strikeouts, ranking second in franchise history in pitching wins above replacement (40.9) and strikeouts, and third in wins, games pitched, and innings pitched.

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[1] Joe Strauss, “Cards deal Drew, Marrero for pitching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[2] Joe Strauss, “Cards deal Drew, Marrero for pitching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[3] Joe Strauss, “Cards deal Drew, Marrero for pitching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[4] Joe Strauss, “Cards deal Drew, Marrero for pitching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[5] Joe Strauss, “Cards deal Drew, Marrero for pitching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[6] Joe Strauss, “Cards deal Drew, Marrero for pitching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[7] Bernie Miklasz, “Trading enigmas begets more enigmas, but it’s just a start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[8] Guy Curtright, “Drew delighted Braves called,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 15, 2003.

[9] Joe Strauss, “Drew seeks better reputation, while King wants to keep his,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 15, 2003.

[10] Guy Curtright, “Drew joins Braves,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 14, 2003.

[11] Guy Curtright, “Drew joins Braves,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 14, 2003.

[12] Guy Curtright, “Drew joins Braves,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 14, 2003.

[13] Joe Strauss, “Cards deal Drew, Marrero for pitching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[14] Joe Strauss, “Cards deal Drew, Marrero for pitching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[15] Joe Strauss, “Cards deal Drew, Marrero for pitching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[16] Joe Strauss, “Cards deal Drew, Marrero for pitching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[17] Guy Curtright, “Drew joins Braves,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 14, 2003.

[18] Joe Strauss, “Cards deal Drew, Marrero for pitching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[19] Joe Strauss, “Drew seeks better reputation, while King wants to keep his,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 15, 2003.

[20] Bernie Miklasz, “Trading enigmas begets more enigmas, but it’s just a start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

[21] Bernie Miklasz, “Trading enigmas begets more enigmas, but it’s just a start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.

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