[ad_1]
Even though you know the trades are coming, it’s shocking when a teammate or fan favorite player is moved mid-season. This was the case with Joc Pederson, who had endeared himself to everyone with a serious silliness that included an almost transparent patch of peach down that wouldn’t have passed for a mustache even in college.
He certainly didn’t set the world on fire with his output of just 288 plateau appearances for the Cubs, generating 0.2 fWAR with a 95 wRC + which ranks ninth on the team among players with at least 100 AP. He was also not very good in left field, posting the worst career -1.5 UZR in just over 518 innings. But he was a great character, one of those glue guys that everyone wants to be around.
So even though his one-year contract indicated he was commercial bait from the time he joined the organization, it still sucks emotionally for a lot of people.
“Such a good teammate and a good friend in four months”, Anthony Rizzo told reporters on Friday. “His vibe and everything he brought to the team each day was just fun, upbeat and energetic. He was a good person to have around. Good morale.
To make matters worse, players discovered the trade the same way fans did. Ian Happ woke up to a text from his brother upon landing on the team’s flight to Arizona, which must have been a serious WTF moment. David Ross was a little more warned by Jed Hoyer that a deal could be made, but that didn’t make things much easier.
“This is my first time going through this, and Joc… I mean, it stinks, man,” Ross said. “You devote all your heart and soul to these guys and them competing, and they compete for you. And you rely on these guys and their hard work, attitude and professionalism. “
More than just the loss of a friend or teammate, exchanges like this make it very clear that the looming threat of teardown is no longer hypothetical. It’s also a sign to the remaining players that the Cubs aren’t really keen on being competitive this season. I’m sure a lot of people reading this will be like “Duh”, but it’s not as easy for professional competitors to take a longer-term perspective.
“When your team friends are swapped,” said Rizzo, “you know they’re going to a place where they’re more wanted and loved and they’re going to fight for maybe something more. is hard.
The future of Rizzo is still undetermined with two weeks before the deadline and only a few months before the expiration of his current contract. He halted overtime talks before the start of the season and has apparently not made a commitment lately, even though Hoyer has pledged to sit down with his stars. Rizzo actually cited Jon Lester’s sterling legacy with two different teams. back in march and you must be wondering if he sees greener grass in other stages at this point.
While this is far from a clear sign, it is no coincidence that the Cubs have a first baseman banging des Braves in exchange for Pederson. Maybe 10 years from now we’ll be talking about Bryce Ball the same way we talk about Rizzo, which I guess would mean the Cubs would part ways with a cornerstone yet again. It could also mean that they won another title, in which case several mistakes will have been forgiven.
Either way, Tom Petty is right that the wait is the hard part.
[ad_2]
Source link