Edgar Rentería thinks the Braves ought to be smart

Or how in an alternate universe, Joe Torre was still the manager, and Edgar Rentería was the shortstop.

Funny how offseasons tend to blossom into intricate plot lines involving family affairs, turned-down deals, resignings and such. We all know that the future for Joe Torre, whatever that may be, will not involve navy pinstripes.

But we didn’t know this: Joe Torre wanted to manage Rentería as a Yankee.

Huh? For one, Edgar wasn’t aware of such theory, not until he made his customary offseason trek back to his native Colombia for some R&R. According to an interview with El Tiempo, the country’s largest daily, such possibility existed. What’s more, Torre wanted to platoon Jeter with Rentería.

¿Se enteró que Joe Torre dijo que le gustaría dirigirlo en los Yankees?

Nunca supe eso. Me entero ahora que regreso a Colombia porque todo el mundo en Bogotá (fue a ver el partido de fútbol entre Colombia y Brasil) me preguntó por ese tema.

¿Y usted qué cree?

No creo. (Derek) Jeter es el paracortos de los Yankees y, de verdad, no necesitan otro paracortos.

Torres (sic) dijo a la prensa que para alternarse…

Ni Jeter ni yo podemos estar alternarnos. Él y yo somos jugadores de todos los días.

In a nutshell:

ET: Did you know Torre wanted to manage you with the Yankees?

Edgar: I never heard of that. I find out now that I’m back in Colombia with everyone asking me about it during the Colombia – Brazil soccer match.

ET: What do you think about it?

ER: I don’t. Jeter is the Yankees’ shortstop and truthfully, they don’t need another shorstop.

ET: Torre told the media that he could platoon…

ER: Neither Jeter or I can platoon. We both are everyday players.

I’m not sure how surprising this is. My brother insists he heard something like this before. But the fact that Rentería didn’t know about it speaks for itself.

I interviewed Rentería before the 2006 season, so I know he’s a straight-shooter, no-nonsense kinda guy (or maybe it was the fact that he was taking BP and I threw him a bunch of softballs). Whatever the case, Rentería’s not the kind of guy that gives a reporter a bone to chew on. Until now.

In that same interview with El Tiempo, Rentería reveals that he feels the Braves should trade him for a few young arms:

A usted le falta un año del contrato con los Bravos. ¿Pero qué hay posible ida a los Tigres de Detroit, por ejemplo?

Sí, soy de los Bravos; pero puede haber cambio. Si Atlanta es inteligente me debe cambiar por buenos lanzadores. Atlanta tiene un paracortos (el cubano Yunel Escobar) que puede jugar en el puesto. Pero si quiere ir a postemporada puede hacer mi cambio y tener al equipo para pelear el otro año.

If the Braves want to make the postseason, he says, they should trade me and have the team ready for next year.

And with the Tigers moving error-prone Carlos Guillen to first base because his “knees are weak,” there might be a Leyland-Rentería reunion in Detroit.

With Andruw Jones not coming back, it seems, the new Braves GM will have his hands full this offseason.