A Reds player was stunned to learn about the Yasiel Puig trade from some fans in the stands
The Trade Deadline is a chaotic time -- all 30 Major League teams racing against the clock to find the perfect deal to put themselves in position to contend either now or in the future. All-Stars get shipped across the country. Millions of dollars and the fates of fan bases rely on the timeliness of fax machines. Players wind up in tears in front of tens of thousands of people. Deadline madness can strike anywhere, at any moment.
Yes, even when you're currently in the middle of a big league game. Reds left fielder Jesse Winker was just going about his business in Tuesday night's Pirates-Reds game. He probably thought he had a pretty good idea of who was on the Cincinnati roster. But if the Trade Deadline has taught us anything, it's that if you're not constantly refreshing Twitter, you're already a year behind.
Jesse Winker learned from a fan about the Puig trade tonight (via @Knickoson42) pic.twitter.com/5Ox9Ede5Ll
— And This Blog Belongs To The Reds (@ATBBTTR) July 31, 2019
Winker had no idea that, just minutes prior, rumors began to swirl that the Reds had dealt Yasiel Puig to the Indians as part of a three-team blockbuster. The fans out in the left-field stands, however, did -- they've got the benefit of smartphones, after all. So they figured they'd let Puig's closest available teammate in on the news. His reaction was ... mixed.
Don't worry: Once he picked his jaw up off the floor, Winker came around.
That was one the most upbeat clubhouses I’ve ever been in following a loss. #Reds players were excited about the trade. Jesse Winker: “Man, I love wearing this uniform. Let’s go beat them tomorrow!” https://t.co/Zf4zsdzudH
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) July 31, 2019
Let's just put a Twitter timeline on every stadium's Jumbotron for the next few hours, just to be safe.
