Arroyo shocked by trade to Reds

[oneupper]

Arroyo shocked by trade to Reds
By DAVID BORGES, Journal Register News Service
03/21/2006

FORT MYERS, Fla. --- Bronson Arroyo has long said that, if he could, he’d sign a lifetime contract to remain a Red Sox.

Unfortunately for Arroyo, he couldn’t. Now he’s gone, and he’s not happy about it.

Arroyo was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on Monday in exchange for strapping young outfielder Wily Mo Pena. He got the call from general manager Theo Epstein late yesterday morning.

"He said something to the effect of, ‘I’ve got news you probably don’t want to hear,’" Arroyo recalled. "I said, ‘I’m traded to the Reds, huh?’ He said, ‘Yup.’"

And with that, the 29-year-old righthander was thrown for a loss, even though he had heard the trade rumors ever since the start of spring training.

Reached on his cell phone yesterday evening, Arroyo seemed flustered ("My brain’s scrambled, man. I’m just driving down interstate"), upset, hurt and genuinely surprised that he had been traded away.

"Yeah, it came as a shock to me. I mean, why wouldn’t it?"

Arroyo signed a three-year, $11.25 million extension with the Sox on Jan. 19 against the advice of his agent, Gregg Clifton, who warned him that signing at such a discounted price would make him attractive to small-market teams.

Arroyo signed anyway, believing he had a tacit agreement with Jed Hoyer and Ben Cherington, the team’s co-general managers at the time, that he would remain a Red Sox for at least the foreseeable future.

"My exact words were, ‘I’m not signing this deal to be in Tampa Bay in two weeks,’" Arroyo said. "Their exact words were, ‘We don’t foresee you being in any type of deals in the near future. There are no deals involving you at all.’ Whether they meant the near future was tomorrow, I don’t know."

"After the conversations I had with Jed and Ben," he continued, "did I think I’d be traded six or seven weeks later? No. Not that I didn’t think I could be traded possibly at the trading deadline if I wasn’t throwing well, but I didn’t think I’d be traded in spring training."

Epstein returned as Sox GM after a 2 ½-month hiatus the same night Arroyo agreed to his deal. He hadn’t been involved with the negotiations, but said the rumor of a "gentlemen’s agreement" between Arroyo and the Sox "simply wasn’t the case."

"Jed Hoyer finished the contract with the Red Sox and told Bronson at the time that signing such a contract came with no guarantees about being traded. He assured Bronson at the time that there were no active trade discussions (involving) Bronson, and that certainly was true. But that was several months ago, and things did change as teams began to inquire about Bronson this spring."

Arroyo didn’t think anything would have been different had Epstein been involved with the negotiations over the winter.

"He is involved right now," the pitcher pointed out. "If he didn’t want it to go down, it wouldn’t have gone down. He’s the GM."

Arroyo had been pegged to start the season in the bullpen for the pitching-rich Sox, but he should be near the top of the Reds’ starting rotation. Not that that provides much consolation for the tall righthander.

"No place is going to attract me," he said. "I don’t personally enjoy pitching in the National League, because of all the things that come along with the National League. I wanted to pitch with a team I knew had a chance to be in the World Series every year. Not to say I couldn’t with the Cincinnati Reds, but obviously it’s probably more of an uphill battle. I just bought an apartment in Boston, it felt like my home. It’s going to be different getting to know everybody, going back to square one."

Even more disconcerting for Reds fans: "Hey, I’ll go out and pitch my three years. I’ve got three years and I can go where I want."

Still, it’s not the Reds so much that bothers him but the fact that he’s leaving Boston.

"I wanted to stay in a Red Sox uniform. Period. That was it, that was the only reason I signed that deal. Hey, business is business. They did what they had to do, and I did what I had to do. You can only be a stand-up guy to a certain point. There’s so many factors involved. It’s not just me, it’s Theo, the owners, a lot of stuff involved around it. It’s strictly a business decision. I know Theo liked me as a person, but that doesn’t make it any easier."

Arroyo didn’t make it over to City of Palms Park yesterday, instead packing up his residence. He’ll be at the park today to pick up his belongings and figures to be up at the Reds’ spring training site in Sarasota, a little over an hour up the road, to play catch this afternoon. He said he’s slated to pitch on Saturday when the Reds host Minnesota, meaning he could be in line to face the Sox the following Thursday, March 30, at City of Palms.

In his three years in the Sox organization, Arroyo emerged from waiver-wire pick-up from Pittsburgh to author of a perfect game with the PawSox to a solid and versatile starting pitcher to a literal rock star.

Along with racking up 24 wins and more quality starts (36) than any other Red Sox pitcher over the past two seasons, Arroyo had become famous for his guitar and vocal skills. He even released an album of cover songs last July entitled ‘Covering the Bases,’ on which Epstein was a special guest guitarist.

"From a personal standpoint, I really admire Bronson," Epstein said. "I have gotten to know him really well, and that made it difficult. From an organizational standpoint, we owe a lot to Bronson ..I think it’s safe to say we would not have won the (2004) World Series without him. He’s handled himself with a huge amount of class on and off the field throughout his time as a Red Sox."

"That said," Epstein continued, "if I allowed my personal feelings about a player or recognized that a player would prefer to stay in Boston, if I let that affect our judgment, I wouldn’t be doing my job. It was tough for the organization to see a good, loyal soldier go."

[vaticanplum]

What was it that somebody was telling me yesterday about him being a likeable guy? ;)

[flyer85]

What was it that somebody was telling me yesterday about him being a likeable guy? ;)I think party animal is probably more appropriate

[oneupper]

"There is no such thing as a tacit agreement" - My Lawyer.

[flyer85]

"There is no such thing as a tacit agreement" his agent told him what would happen. I wonder if he will take his advice or "trust the lawyers" next time.

[vaticanplum]

I think party animal is probably more appropriate

Meh, I'm sure many of us could put him to shame in partying and we'd all give our eyeteeth to pitch for the Reds. I guess that's not really a valid comparison though.

[lollipopcurve]

Should be interesting to see how reacts -- self-pitying or resilient?

[Gainesville Red]

Couple of quotes later this could be ugly. Like Danny Graves ugly.

[flyer85]

Couple of quotes later this could be ugly. Like Danny Graves ugly.I hope he doesn't feel small.

[OldXOhio]

Put yourself in BA's shoes. He just signed a hometown discounted contract to remain with a team/city he likes and is now traded to a cellar dweller in another league. Do we really expect the guy to be singing the praises of this deal? Give him time - players' tunes like this tend to change over time, especially as they become more acclimated to their new setting.

[GoReds]

Guy should get a grace period to get through the transition. Noone likes to be traded from a perrenial winner to a team rebuilding, particularly if there is no extra $$$ involved.

Non-story.

[Caveat Emperor]

In his defense, he's going from a team that expects to compete for a World Series title every year to a team where even the fans understand that reaching .500 is a moral victory.

The first rection I'd have would be disappointment as well.

[redsfan30]

Should be interesting to see how reacts -- self-pitying or resilient?
Should be VERY interesting.

I'm willing to forgive this article and the Cincinnati bad mouthing as just shock of being traded. But if it continues he's going to build many enemies in this town seperate from the ones that hate him being a Red before he even puts on the uniform.

[Gainesville Red]

If he does start complaining in the media I hope he at least refers to himself in the third person. That's my favorite.

"Bronson Arroyo does what Bronson Arroyo wants, when Bronson Arroyo wants."

"Bronson Arroyo wants a Fenway Frank, he never asked for some stupid Skyline cheese coney."

[Red Leader]

I'm thinking that he will get along with Adam Dunn quite well. They seem to have some things in common, and are younger, single guys that like to have a good time. I think once Arroyo arrives at Reds camp and spends a season with his new teammates, he'll acclimate nicely.

Still doesn't mean that I wouldn't trade him before his contract expires, though.

[flyer85]

I think once Arroyo arrives at Reds camp and spends a season with his new teammates, he'll acclimate nicely.as long as he enjoys the losing.

[princeton]

agent never heard about a no-trade or limited no-trade or a trade-dependent salary escalator?

[Gainesville Red]

agent never heard about a no-trade or limited no-trade?

Sounds like Arroyo doesn't care what his agent's heard of.

[flyer85]

agent never heard about a no-trade or limited no-trade?he told his client to turn down the deal. I doubt the Sox would have agreed to any trade protection.

[Red Leader]

as long as he enjoys the losing.

Yeah, he could go all Derek Bell and fire off threats of "Operation: Shutdown," but I doubt it. He knows he's here for 3 years now, and I think he'll try to make the best of it. I still think he'll run for the hills at the end of his contract if he stays here for his whole contract, but that's 3 years away.

[scounts22]

If he does start complaining in the media I hope he at least refers to himself in the third person. That's my favorite.

"Bronson Arroyo does what Bronson Arroyo wants, when Bronson Arroyo wants."

"Bronson Arroyo wants a Fenway Frank, he never asked for some stupid Skyline cheese coney."


:lol:

[dnitzsch]

Couple of quotes later this could be ugly. Like Danny Graves ugly.

I was just thinking about Graves. I never liked that guy as a player (always thought he was overrated) but he could tear it up on Main Street with the best of them. It was fun to catch him at Japp's tending bar the night before a game.

Everyone remember how Bronson celebrated his world series victory slumming in the dorms? Respect! http://www.dailybull.com/bronson-arroyo2.JPG

[lollipopcurve]

Give him time - players' tunes like this tend to change over time, especially as they become more acclimated to their new setting.

Understood. But the guy has to be careful about what he says publicly.

This appears to be significant adversity for Arroyo. Always telling how a person responds...

[traderumor]

If I didn't know better, I'd think that I was reading Sean Casey's farewell article. A tough part of professional sports is that you don't often get to choose your employer.

I think being in the rotation should improve his mood if he's a winner. If he is any type of competitor, working out of the pen should rate second to being a key part of helping a struggling team improve.

[MikeS21]

Hey, if Bronson Arroyo wants out of Cincinnati, then he needs to come in and pitch well and heat up the market for himself. If he does well, a contender may want him in July.

Although, I do have a few concerns that Kearns and Dunn, who already have a bit of a "party" reputation, do not need an influence like Bronson Arroyo

[BCubb2003]

It's too bad we traded Casey. It sounds like Bronson needs a hug.

[wally post]

OK. he's no spring chicken baseball-year-wise, but he IS ONLY 29. I see a natural reaction here. We love our Reds, but that makes us members of a very secret society! :D The rest of the baseball world sees the Reds as the Kansas City Athletics with the green elephants on the jerseys! (or are the elephants in management?) anyway... let's keep moving on with the moving on!

I think he will get comfortable and do a great job and enjoy cashing his pay checks.
and if wants to be traded?... I think we will adjust to that - based on some opinions posted here about the trade. Looks likea win / win scenario to me.

[PTBNL]

I didn't take this as he was 'against' pitching in Cincinnati in as much as he just didn't want to pitch anywhere else. You are talking about a kid that grew up in a small town in Florida. He never had the chance to fully embrace his time with the Pirates as he was never up long enough to move out of a furnished apt. He was welcomed with open arms in New England. So he grew to LOVE the city of Boston. He may LOVE Cincinnati by the end of this year. I've watched him pitch for a number of years. He has been through a lot of upheaval in his career. He takes the positives, acclimates and eventually everyone loves him. From the clubbies to the egomaniacs on the team to hopefully your long-time Reds fan, mom. He obviously didn't do a huge media push here. This was the only guy he talked to yesterday. He sounds like the shock factor had not worn off & he was not completely prepared here. Arroyo's never even 'experienced' Ohio, besides blowing through Cleveland twice in the last two years.
Look at least he said he 'wants' to be here for 3 years. He could have done a Vazquez and decided he was going to put in his 1 year and then file for a trade.
Regarding the partying, I have to laugh. Don't believe everything you read in the Boston media. He will "show up" on his 5th day. So who really cares what he does with the other 4?! :D

[RedsFan75]

If he does get to face the Sox on Thursday it should be real interesting. He may come out and no hit them just to show them what they let go.

[PTBNL]

agent never heard about a no-trade or limited no-trade or a trade-dependent salary escalator?

Red Sox have a reputation for shorter-termed contracts and not dolling out 'no-trade clauses.' That was the big hang up in the Varitek contract at the end of '04.

[blumj]

I'm thinking that he will get along with Adam Dunn quite well. They seem to have some things in common, and are younger, single guys that like to have a good time. I think once Arroyo arrives at Reds camp and spends a season with his new teammates, he'll acclimate nicely.

Still doesn't mean that I wouldn't trade him before his contract expires, though.

Um, Bronson's not single. Just don't tell the college girls in Cincinnati, though.

[Phhhl]

The modern history of THIS franchise trumps the Red Sox. Maybe Bronson needs to do a little reading...

I understand how he feels. But, there is something egregiously wrong with the game when people are above-board talking about teams that have a "chance" to be in the World Series and those that (apparently) don't. It is all about money, and it absolutely disgusts me. He should be proud to wear the uniform of one of the premier franchises in the history of the game. I will give him time to come around to that realization.

[flyer85]

Um, Bronson's not single. Just don't tell the college girls in Cincinnati, though.maybe Derek Lowe taught him everything he knew.

[Gainesville Red]

The modern history of THIS franchise trumps the Red Sox.


What's "modern"?

[flyer85]

What's "modern"?Bronson may think a "Big Red Maichine" is a brightly colored ford pickup.

[Red Leader]

Um, Bronson's not single. Just don't tell the college girls in Cincinnati, though.

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone, I agreed to be his "wingman" ;) :laugh:

[PTBNL]

The modern history of THIS franchise trumps the Red Sox. Maybe Bronson needs to do a little reading...

I understand how he feels. But, there is something egregiously wrong with the game when people are above-board talking about teams that have a "chance" to be in the World Series and those that (apparently) don't. It is all about money, and it absolutely disgusts me. He should be proud to wear the uniform of one of the premier franchises in the history of the game. I will give him time to come around to that realization.

How can you say it's all about the money when this guy took a "hometown discount" to stay in Boston? We all know the Sox had the money, but to Arroyo it wasn't 'all about the money' and he could have gone to arbitration and risked banking a few more bucks and settling on a 1-year deal. He wanted the security and he 'thought he was doing the right thing' in order to 'get' to stay with the only 'true' team he's played for with some consistency. These are just emotions talking on his part right now. Anyone that grew up a baseball fan knows about the Reds' storied franchise, but this is a kid that is only a season removed from a World Series and two seasons removed from riding a bus for 5 hours and eating top raman at 3am.
If you truly understood how he felt you would remove the $ and put yourself in is shoes and reserve judgement until he throws his 1st pitch.....at least.

[Falls City Beer]

Yeah, this moaning is a non-issue, particularly if the Reds start to improve. If they contend in 2007, he'll be stoked that he's along for the ride.

[Danny Serafini]

You could've replaced Reds with 28 other names in that article and gotten a lot of the same quotes. He wants to be in Boston, and now he's not. I wouldn't take it as some sort of personal slap in the face of Cincinnati, he just didn't want to go anywhere else.

[blumj]

What, you guys really think it's some big slight to acknowledge that the current Red Sox probably have a better chance to compete for a championship than the current Reds? That's trashing to you, really? Because I don't think there are many of you who wouldn't acknowledge that as a reality right now. But, honestly, you should want players who get upset when they are traded, it means they care about things other than just cashing the paycheck. Bronson Arroyo cares about winning and he cares about his teammates, those are things you want in players.

[flyer85]

What, you guys really think it's some big slight to acknowledge that the current Red Sox probably have a better chance to compete for a championship than the current Reds? Nope, just the truth but some feel differently and prefer to live in the past. I got negged for saying the 2006 Reds are going to be losers.

[PickOff]

The only thing that concerns me about his statements is that he doesn't like pitching in the National league. Guess he doesn't like hitting or being taken out for a pinch hitter. I hope he gets over it and shows the Red Sox that they made a bad deal.

[corkedbat]

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone, I agreed to be his "wingman" ;) :laugh:

Wingman, huh? Does that mean you get shot down before they get to him? :evil:

[ochre]

I hope he doesn't go all Woodie Fryman on us.

[PTBNL]

The only thing that concerns me about his statements is that he doesn't like pitching in the National league. Guess he doesn't like hitting or being taken out for a pinch hitter. I hope he gets over it and shows the Red Sox that they made a bad deal.

I think he's referring to the hitters. He works better on less pitches and the NL has more patience at the plate. There's also been some talk of the NL running on him more and that's his forte. Pitching from the stretch & holding runners. When you are a flyball pitcher and you rely on contact more than Ks, the NL scares you. He'll get over it ;)

[uks2h]

The only thing that I am sad about is the fact that Arroyo's statement about winning a World Series with the Reds is completely true. :(

I don't blame Arroyo at all. Who would want to come to an organization that is often the laughing stock of baseball?

I really hope this new ownership changes things. With this trade, I am not going to get down on them, but if they trade Griffey or Dunn instead of dumping Kearns, I'm out.

[Jr's Boy]

It's too bad we traded Casey. It sounds like Bronson needs a hug.

Rrtf:D

[flyer85]

The only thing that concerns me about his statements is that he doesn't like pitching in the National league. The last 2 years he has been near the top of the league in HBP. No wonder he doesn't want to go to the plate.

[blumj]

The last 2 years he has been near the top of the league in HBP. No wonder he doesn't want to go to the plate.
Well, he learned that part of his game from the best of them. If Pedro can step into a batter's box, Bronson will manage.

[vaticanplum]

He could have done a Vazquez and decided he was going to put in his 1 year and then file for a trade.

On an utterly unrelated note, I must step in and defend Javier. He never wanted to go to Arizona and it was a huge shock to him that he did (unlike Arroyo whose agent clearly gave him some inklings when he signed) -- as recently as two days before the trade Brian Cashman was swearing up and down that the Yankees were going to keep and work with him. His unhappiness with Arizona was not due to baseball-related reasons but to personal ones; there are no direct flights from Arizona to his home and family in Puerto Rico like there are from New York. He asked politely and no doubt with charm to be traded to a city with direct flights, and he was, happily and at the cost of his not being able to request or veto a trade over the next several years. This season he will be playing for Chicago, and those of us in the know fully expect him to pitch perfectly and save the world. [end daily quotient of love for Javier]

[Heath]

On an utterly unrelated note, I must step in and defend Javier. He never wanted to go to Arizona and it was a huge shock to him that he did (unlike Arroyo whose agent clearly gave him some inklings when he signed) -- as recently as two days before the trade Brian Cashman was swearing up and down that the Yankees were going to keep and work with him. His unhappiness with Arizona was not due to baseball-related reasons but to personal ones; there are no direct flights from Arizona to his home and family in Puerto Rico like there are from New York. He asked politely and no doubt with charm to be traded to a city with direct flights, and he was, happily and at the cost of his not being able to request or veto a trade over the next several years. This season he will be playing for Chicago, and those of us in the know fully expect him to pitch perfectly and save the world. [end daily quotient of love for Javier]

Vatican - you be careful, We don't need to read about you in the Tribune stalking the poor boy. Let'em pitch. THEN follow him on the "L" to the team hotel.

;)

[Chip R]

Yeah, he could go all Derek Bell and fire off threats of "Operation: Shutdown," but I doubt it.

And that worked out so well for Derek.

[dsmith421]

I'm willing to forgive this article and the Cincinnati bad mouthing as just shock of being traded.

Sorry, I don't see any Cincinnati bashing anywhere in the article. Although I could definitely see how someone who had lived in Boston for five years and loved it there would experience, well, malaise upon moving to the Queen City.

Cincinnati Reds bashing, sure, because frankly the Reds are a crappy organization that does a terrible job of developing young talent, has no discernible plan in place to do anything but continue to stink, and, at least in the past, had ownership that had no clue how to build a winning baseball team. How would you feel if you went from a franchise that pulls out all the stops to be successful to one rapidly headed for its fifth straight losing season, with no end in sight?

[vaticanplum]

Vatican - you be careful, We don't need to read about you in the Tribune stalking the poor boy. Let'em pitch. THEN follow him on the "L" to the team hotel.

You know, I never realized it before, but Javier actually follows me. He's done it with two cities now. Hmmm...

I have no idea why I have such love for a pitcher with a lifetime 4.28 ERA. I still fully expect him to blossom into one of the premier pitchers of his generation. No, really.

[traderumor]

the Reds are a crappy organizationDon't know if you caught the edit. It should read "scrappy organization" ;)

[dougdirt]

I think he is just bummed he cant hang out with DKM anymore. I know I would be.

[PTBNL]

The last 2 years he has been near the top of the league in HBP. No wonder he doesn't want to go to the plate.

Near the top?! He was the top! But he has a hard time going in on his slider to lefties. With the exception of Singleton, I can easily say that it's been working the inner half of the plate issues ;)

With all due respect to Vazquez as I have been watching him since Montreal so I thoroughly respect his game and I completely understand why he wanted to leave AZ. Everything you wrote was public knowledge and I recall the issues. BUT we don't know Arroyo's situation and who is to say he doesn't have similar problems in Cincinnati? No kids per se, but this move is not as smooth as silk for him or not that big of a deal in 'his' personal life. It's all relative and everyone treats their career in baseball differently. Everyone around Arroyo will have to adjust, because he has been quoted that he is here and he wants to stay.

[Phhhl]

How can you say it's all about the money when this guy took a "hometown discount" to stay in Boston? We all know the Sox had the money, but to Arroyo it wasn't 'all about the money' and he could have gone to arbitration and risked banking a few more bucks and settling on a 1-year deal. He wanted the security and he 'thought he was doing the right thing' in order to 'get' to stay with the only 'true' team he's played for with some consistency. These are just emotions talking on his part right now. Anyone that grew up a baseball fan knows about the Reds' storied franchise, but this is a kid that is only a season removed from a World Series and two seasons removed from riding a bus for 5 hours and eating top raman at 3am.
If you truly understood how he felt you would remove the $ and put yourself in is shoes and reserve judgement until he throws his 1st pitch.....at least.


I'm not talking about his money. I'm talking about the disparity between franchises and the tendancy of players to want to take that easy route. That was the problem with baseball last night, last month, last year, the last five years and about the last decade. It is what has turned so many former baseball fans to the NFL as their point of focus. He wants to be in a World Series, and what player doesn't? Well, here is his chance to do so, and not as a swing man out of the pen either. He might just have to work at it a little harder. I hope he is up to the challenge, any real competitor would welcome it. Boston has a fine tradition, but it hasn't been too bad here either in my lifetime. I have seen three world championships, and as far as I'm concerned, this ballclub takes a back seat to noone.

[BigRed]

I read somewhere that Bronson would have been locked into the Reds for 3 years regardless due to the arbitration process. However, having him locked up for 3 years at that hometown discount definitely saves the Reds some major cash. I understand he loved Boston, but almost everyone that comes to the Reds enjoys the city and the clubhouse. He'll come around. We really can't expect that he would have been excited about it.

[corkedbat]

Pena-for-Arroyo was the kind of deal that even Dan0 could've rumaged around in his binders and come up with eventually - not horrible - not earth-shattering either.

I'm waiting to see his first Santana-esque acquisition. That's what will turn this franchise around. Unfortunately, with the Pena-or-Kearns question settled, I don't see much strength to deal from.

[PTBNL]

I'm not talking about his money. I'm talking about the disparity between franchises and the tendancy of players to want to take that easy route. That was the problem with baseball last night, last month, last year, the last five years and about the last decade. It is what has turned so many former baseball fans to the NFL as their point of focus. He wants to be in a World Series, and what player doesn't? Well, here is his chance to do so, and not as a swing man out of the pen either. He might just have to work at it a little harder. I hope he is up to the challenge, any real competitor would welcome it. Boston has a fine tradition, but it hasn't been too bad here either in my lifetime. I have seen three world championships, and as far as I'm concerned, this ballclub takes a back seat to noone.

Hear hear!
Point taken and agreed! :beerme:

[Caveat Emperor]

I think he is just bummed he cant hang out with DKM anymore. I know I would be.

Somebody be sure to get a memo to the Reds PA booth to make sure "Barroom Heroes" plays whenever he takes the mound. :beerme:

[Cigar2]

This is a none issue for the time being. Let's not look too much into Bronson what said in this article has a fortelling of doom for this trade.

[Terry]

Just what we needed ... another unhappy player making bigger bucks than the players already here. :rolleyes:

[savafan]

I figure BA will change his tune when the Reds start to play well this year (which I predict they will) and Boston struggles (which I predict they will...I don't think their aging pitching will hold up all summer.)