Molina apparently got the trade news the wrong way

0
0
0

There is a common courtesy afforded to players when they are traded, optioned or released. They are called into a meeting with an official from the team and told before they hear it from any unofficial source, such as the media.

The Giants have done an excellent job of that over the years, but it's my understanding there was a breakdown when they traded Bengie Molina to Texas. According to sources, Molina heard the news from teammates as they arrived in Denver, and a comment from Molina to reporters in Dallas seems to back that up.

"It was kind of weird," he said. "Teammates were all coming up to me and saying goodbye. I was like, 'What's going on?' I guess I've been released. I've never been in that situation before."

The deal was not official Wednesday night. It still awaited approval from the commissioner's office. But it had been reported widely in the press. I have not talked to any team official about this -- and I will do so tomorrow -- but it's possible the team did not want to tell Molina because, with the Rangers in bankruptcy, there was a chance the deal might fall through. Even so, he should not have heard the news from teammates first, if that is what happened.

As I said, that's my speculation, and I owe the Giants their say.

As for the deal itself, Molina said, "To say it was disappointing, disappointing is a very strong word. It was more sad than anything. They are good friends. They really are family. But at the same time the team traded me, so you've got to turn the page. I'm excited to be here. This team is in first place. I'm going to try my hardest for this team."

Posted By: Henry Schulman (Email, Twitter) | July 02 2010 at 08:49 PM