MLB Rumors: Jimmy Rollins now open to being traded
By Hayden Kane
Like clockwork, Philadelphia Phillies’ shortstop Jimmy Rollins is open to a trade now that he has broken Mike Schmidt‘s record for all-time hits for the franchise.
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We had previously heard that Rollins, who has full no-trade powers as a 10-5 player, would be ready to sign off on trade once he had that record in his pocket. That is understandable, even if it is pretty shamelessly motivated by an individual accomplishment.
Rollins clearly feels there is nothing to worry about on that front, because he waited less than 24 hours from breaking that record before he said he’s good being traded now (quotes from ESPN.com):
"It really depends if everything is blown up,” Rollins told reporters. “Then you take that into consideration. If they blow everything up, then of course.”"
Try though he might to put it in the context of a full rebuilding process, something the Phillies know is a possibility at this point, Rollins has still changed his tune pretty drastically. Up to this point Rollins has been steadfast that he’s not interested in signing off on a trade.
To be fair to Rollins, it is understandably difficult for him to imagine playing in another uniform. At 35 years old, he has spent his entire 14 year career with the Phillies, something that is pretty special and rare these days.
There might be a certain degree of closure in nailing down such an important franchise record in front of the home crowd and then making the difficult decision to leave town.
Then again, that decision might be made a lot easier by the opportunity to bat in front of Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez while playing shortstop behind Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.