Like how most love stories with bad endings begin, it starts with a guy being traded to a new team and the team thinking, “wow this guy could be a great asset to our team.” The guy befriends his teammates, the front office, and even warms a few fan hearts. But as time goes on, the fans who enjoyed watching the guy get annoyed over his blunders, the front office brings in new guys and the guy becomes distant to the point, he ghosts everyone.
Ah yes, the modern day way of saying, “we’re done,” without having to say anything. This is exactly what Yairo Muñoz did to his team, the St. Louis Cardinals.
Often used as a utility man, Muñoz also played a key role in allowing Paul DeJong days off. (Yes, I know those days came far and few last season.) But with the likes of Tommy Edman coming in hot last season, things seemed bleak for Muñoz.
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/eYi5Sy1Ye4
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 7, 2020
So here’s the thing, Muñoz had options left. Which meant there would be a likely chance that he spent 2020 in Memphis. It wouldn’t be ideal for the 25-year-old but at least he would have been able to get ample enough start time to improve his game.
He had injured his hamstring running to first base on February 29 and it was acknowledged that he would miss time — the Cardinals even brought up minor leaguer Kramer Robertson to fill the void as Muñoz healed. Instead of healing, he went AWOL.
According to the organization, they did not know that Muñoz had left the country until a member of team who is close with the utility man let them in on the weird little situation. Yeah, talk about a bad breakup.
Muñoz agent stated, “Munoz was frustrated with his role and saw writing on the wall.” So here we have it, a total cliche baseball romantic comedy that ends with a weird plot twist.
Here’s to Muñoz finding a new home and the Cardinals placing Dylan Carlson on the Opening Day roster.
Follow along on Twitter for all things baseball related @chelseabrooke / @dugoutdish.
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
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