Mets Trade Prospect Jefry Marte to Athletics for Collin Cowgill

Seeking to boost their outfield depth, the New York Mets traded third base prospect Jefry Marte to the Oakland Athletics this afternoon, in exchange for outfielder Collin Cowgill. The 26-year-old Cowgill has exceeded rookie limits with 196 at-bats between the Athletics and Arizona Diamondbacks over the last two years and is no longer considered a formal prospect. He profiles as a reserve outfielder with speed, good defensive ability, and occasional pop.

Marte is still a prospect, and here's the scoop on him.

Jefry Marte, 3B: The Mets spent $500,000 to sign Marte out of the Dominican Republic in 2007, seeing him as a power hitter of great potential. He hasn't lived up to that billing,with a career-high mark of nine homers. However, he has been pushed through the system aggressively, playing 2012 at age 20/21 in Double-A. He hit .251/.322/.366 in 462 at-bats for Binghamton this year, with a 43/76 BB/K ratio.

Listed at 6-1, 190, Marte is a well-built right-handed hitter, born June 21, 1991. He simply looks like someone who should hit, even though he hasn't really done it yet. He isn't a walk machine, but he makes contact and avoids excessive strikeouts, giving hope that he might tap his power someday if he can add some loft to his line drive swing. His best defensive attribute is a strong throwing arm, and he's made some progress reducing his error rate and loosening up his range, though it will never be more than average.

Marte seems like a player who can benefit from a change of scenery.