Minor League Baseball Player Traded Midgame While Standing On Second Base

To say Nathan Martorella was confused would be an understatement. 

As the San Diego Padres Double-A Minor League Baseball player had just reached second base on a double, time was called with his manager motioning for him to come off the field. At first, Martorella doesn't even realize that his manager is talking to him - as he begins looking around. Eventually, As begins slowly jogging to the third baseline (probably assuming that there was a family emergency) only to find out that he had been traded to the Miami Marlins and had to leave immediately.

Video of the bizarre situation made the rounds across social media.

WHY COULDN'T HE CONTINUE PLAYING?

Honestly, I've never seen anything like that before. Sure, there have been players traded - especially pitchers during games, but not while they were actually ON the field and they had to be removed right then and there.

The reason why actually makes sense - God forbid if Martorella got injured, the trade could be voided and there was no way the San Antonio Missions were going to be held responsible for that. 

Martorella was a part of four Padres prospects that were all traded last night in baseball's first blockbuster deal in exchange for the Padres receiving Miami Marlins 2x All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez. Both Martorella and teammate Jakob Marsee were traded and had about 2 minutes before they said their goodbyes on the field and jogged to the clubhouse and then an airport as they began the next chapter in their baseball lives.

In the words of former Yankees broadcaster John Sterling, "That's baseball, Suzyn!"

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