For baseball fans who hadn’t heard of Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski before last week, he’s certainly left an ugly first impression.
The Pirates turned heads after placing Mlodzinski on the restricted list on Sunday, shortly after the 27-year-old said he wasn’t ready to pitch. Pittsburgh moved Mlodzinski, who had a 3.76 ERA in 11 games and nine starts, to the bullpen following Jared Jones’ return from a right elbow injury.
Players are not paid while on the restricted list. Mlodzinski told reporters last week that he was working with the Pirates, as well as his family and his agency, regarding the next step. The Pirates said they expect Mlodzinski to return for this week’s road trip, so it’s unclear why they opted to place him on the restricted list. FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray reported that, although Mlodzinski is upset, he has not requested a trade.
Even when things are going well for the 32-28 Pirates, leave it to players and management to bring about their own drama.
Carmen Mlodzinski and the Pirates have each created an ugly distraction
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: If Mlodzinski truly said that he mentally wasn’t ready to pitch out of the bullpen, then he failed himself and the Pirates.
Mlodzinski, as with every other player in an MLB organization, has a role, and he has a contract. He isn’t the first pitcher to lose his rotation spot this year, and he certainly won’t be the last, especially as we move into June.
Objectively speaking, fans should understand Mlodzinski’s frustration, especially given that he’s pitched well. This isn’t an instance of someone being shifted to the bullpen because they have a 6.00 ERA and a terrible walk rate.
But Mlodzinski made things about himself, and that’s never the right move. Even the accomplished veterans who make it clear they’re unhappy with reduced playing time are in the wrong.
If the Pirates didn’t believe Mlodzinski could contribute right now, they’d have demoted him to Triple-A and brought up a middle reliever. Pittsburgh entered Monday tied for the NL’s third and final Wild Card spot.
Every game matters. That random mid-April loss comes back to bite teams at the end of September when tiebreakers are involved. The Pirates, wisely, want their best players on the roster when they’ve positioned themselves to be in the playoff hunt.
By wanting what he feels is best for himself, Mlodzinski is hurting his teammates.
Ben Cherington and the Pirates must address players not keeping issues internal
Cherington and the Pirates shouldn’t be absolved here because they’re absolutely not innocent for how they’ve handled the Mlodzinski situation.
In fact, the drama arguably began when Jones all but outright said that he wouldn’t pitch out of the bullpen following a rehab start. Yet, the Pirates were fine with Jones’ comments, and he indeed returned to the big-league rotation when he was ready.
Cherington and Kelly deserve some of the blame, because they’ve seemingly created a culture where young players aren’t afraid to say what they will and will not do. We’d be having a far different conversation had Jones or Mlodzinski said that they weren’t pleased but would do whatever would help the Pirates win.
The talk surrounding the Pirates should be hype and excitement about a possible playoff push. Skenes has been solid, while second baseman Brandon Lowe and starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft are potential All-Stars.
Instead, the talk of the town involves two pitchers, neither of whom deserve to be in the rotation given the greater context.
If Kelly and Cherington can’t control their players, then the Pirates may as well kiss their postseason chances goodbye. Distractions are far more detrimental to teams than the normal wear-and-tear of a season ever is.
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