Updated Post 9:30 PM
Catcher Kelly Shoppach met with team officials today, including manager Terry Collins, to distance himself from a report in today’s New York Daily News that said Shoppach was a key figure in Boston’s player mutiny against manager Bobby Valentine last month. More specifically, the report said it was Shoppach who sent the infamous text to Boston’s owners.
Shoppach has adamantly denied any involvement in the situation.
“I wasn’t behind any texts,” Shoppach said. “I actually didn’t even attend the meeting. It was on an off-day in New York. I stayed back in Texas with my family. I’ve already gotten a few text messages from some of my former teammates, apologizing that my name was even brought up in that.”
Original Post 11:00 AM
Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was not the author of the now-infamous text message to Boston ownership complaining about manager Bobby Valentine, although it was sent from his cell phone, major league sources told Andy Martino of the Daily News.
Those sources also said new Mets catcher Kelly Shoppach was deeply involved in writing the message that touched off the latest Sox drama, but Shoppach would not confirm that charge.
Several sources say Gonzalez had nothing to do with the message…The text message was not his idea or his opinion…Those were from the small group of players that included Shoppach.
Martino adds that on Saturday at Nationals Park, Shoppach denied any involvement in sending the text message, insisting, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
However, on Tuesday when the Yahoo! report was published, Shoppach was asked about it and said of the Red Sox organization, “Let me be very careful. I think, and maybe this is as far as I’ll go with it, too, there is a disconnect in communication between the players through the upper management.”
The waiver trade of Shoppach to the Mets was completed that same day.
Reportedly, Shoppach had been feuding with Valentine throughout the season. Back in May, Shoppach was griping about starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia who was off to a great start, Valentine made Shoppach’s comments public.
When asked about all these revelations last night, Shoppach had the following to say:
“I don’t know that anybody is saying anything, and to be honest, I don’t care. I don’t play for them,” Shoppach said. “I play for the Mets. My responsibility is here. Nothing I did yesterday does anything for today, and that’s going to be my stance for the rest of my life.”
It’s probably for the best that the Red Sox got rid of him and hopefully it’s for the best for us too. But why does almost every acquisition from this front office have to come either with baggage or players coming back from injury or career declines?
