Players on the Baltimore Orioles admitted that they were shocked and saddened after Adley Rutschman was traded to the Boston Red Sox.
The Orioles, who made Rutschman the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, sent their former All-Star catcher to the division rival Red Sox in exchange for a package of prospects and players in a true trade deadline blockbuster.
While Rutschman was having a bit of a down year by his standards, he is still one of the best catchers in baseball, so for Baltimore to trade him was a surprising decision, though one that Orioles general manager Mike Elias believes will ultimately benefit his ballclub.
Still, it was a move that seemingly came out of nowhere and took the team’s players aback.
Orioles Players Shocked at Adley Rutschman Trade
Following the news that Rutschman was traded to Boston, Orioles players admitted their shock and sadness at seeing their long-time teammate go.
“Not easy for me. Somebody who’s been with me for seven years,” shortstop Gunnar Henderson said, while holding back tears, according to Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun. “I’m not going to be able to talk about it today. Sorry, guys.”
According to the Orioles’ players, they were at the movies about to see “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” when Rutschman received a phone call telling him he had been traded to Boston.
Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser, who was with Henderson, Ryan Mountcastle, and Rutschman when he got the call about the trade, felt similarly to Henderson.
“There was some shock there. You could kind of see it on his face that something might have been brewing up. Just from a human side of it, obviously it was tough. It was pretty emotional yesterday. I think that the initial shock, it was something that was tough to see. Definitely some sadness there, and all I could do was give him a hug and tell him that I’m here for him and I love him. So, yeah, it was obviously tough,” Cowser said.
Jackson Holliday Sad to See Adley Rutschman Go
Another one of the Orioles’ young players, Jackson Holliday, admitted that Rutschman being traded will leave a big void in the team’s clubhouse, but he also realizes that trades are a part of the business.
“It’s tough. It’s a sad thing to see a guy like that go that means so much to the organization and the clubhouse, but it’s a sucky part of baseball and the business side of baseball, and we got to keep pushing and going. And unfortunately, we’ve got to go out there and beat him, and he’s a great player and a great teammate. It’s a sad thing to see him go,” Holliday said.
Ultimately, the jury is out on the Rutschman trade. While the Orioles did get some nice pieces for the future back in the deal, they may not pan out to become an All-Star like Rutschman was for them. But if Samuel Basallo, the team’s new No. 1 catcher, turns into an All-Star himself, it will help ease the pain a bit from this trade, though the players who were close with him will obviously all miss their long-time teammate all the same.
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