Fansided

Why Brandon Finnegan has no one to blame but himself

By Farzin Vousoughian

Jul 4, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Brandon Finnegan (27) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. The Twins won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 4, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Brandon Finnegan (27) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. The Twins won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brandon Finnegan really has no one to blame but himself

When professional athletes begin their careers, they should be aware that sports are still a business. Teams must do what’s best for themselves when it comes to cuts and trades. At the same time, sometimes feelings get hurt.

That was the case for Brandon Finnegan of the Cincinnati Reds, recently telling The Courier-Journal that the Kansas City Royals did him wrong.

“The Royals kind of screwed me over this year,” Finnegan said to The Courier-Journal. “I wouldn’t have done what I did if it wasn’t for them last year. But you could tell they just didn’t have a clue what to do with me.”

Finnegan was drafted by the Royals in the first round the 2014 MLB Draft and made his debut in early September. During Kansas City’s comeback win in the AL Wild Card game against Oakland, Finnegan made his MLB postseason debut and shined after striking out three batters in two and one-third innings, all during extra innings.

The media praised him during Kansas City’s hot postseason run after he responded to a fan on Twitter asking for tickets to a postseason game, agreeing to send the fan and his girlfriend to an ALCS game.

Finnegan soared and gained a lot of popularity among Royals fans as he became the first player in baseball history to play in the College World Series and the World Series in the same year. But his AL Wild Card spark was the only bright spot during his time with the Royals.

Sports Radio 810 host Soren Petro tweeted that Finnegan did not enter spring training in shape, according to manager Ned Yost, giving an explanation as to why he played poorly before the regular season got underway. Finnegan spent most 2015 in the minor leagues, seeing little time in Kansas City.

Eventually, the Royals traded the former TCU standout while he still had value, along with two other minor leaguers for Johnny Cueto.

Bottom line: if Finnegan was in shape going into spring training and played well, the Royals would have never traded him away. He could have possibly spent the entire 2015 season with the Royals in Kansas City, and Cueto might have been traded to another team instead.

Trades are a huge part of professional sports, especially if a player is struggling and if there is room to improve a position. The Royals did what was best by snagging Cueto and sending Finnegan as part of a package deal to the Reds to improve the starting rotation.

Playing for two teams in two seasons is never ideal, but if a player plays consistently well, general managers won’t trade them, preventing players from becoming a journeyman in professional sports.

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