Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona is not happy that the waiver status of two of his players became public knowledge this week.
The Reds placed third baseman Eugenio Suarez and outfielder TJ Friedl on outright waivers this week, which would have allowed any other team to claim either player and assume their salary for the remainder of the season. Both players went unclaimed, but the fact that the news got out did not sit well with Francona.
“It’s supposed to be confidential. For people that don’t keep it confidential, shame on them,” Francona said, via Charlie Goldsmith of FOX19. “You’re in a spot of leadership for whatever organization. You need to respect that. When it’s not respected, it pisses me off.”
As Francona noted, it was not necessarily someone within the Reds organization who let this information go public. Someone else in a different organization was likely privy to the information and leaked it to the media.
It is not at all unusual for teams to place highly-paid veterans on waivers late in the regular season, especially if those players are unlikely to return next season. The move typically goes unreported, and it is rare for any such player to be claimed by another organization.
Both Suarez and Friedl have had poor seasons for the Reds. Suarez has a $16 million mutual option for next season that the Reds will almost certainly decline.
