WORCESTER — Before his team’s game Tuesday night, WooSox manager Chad Tracy admitted that everyone in the clubhouse was on pins and needles waiting to see what would happen with the upcoming 6 p.m. MLB trade deadline.
“If the phone rings, it rings,” Tracy told the media around 5 p.m. “(The trade deadline is) definitely something that’s on the players’ minds for sure. ... So we'll see where it all lands.”
Less than an hour later, Tracy’s phone rang.
Worcester’s starting right fielder ( Matthew Lugo ), first baseman (Niko Kavadas) and hard-throwing reliever (Ryan Zeferjahn) were all traded to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for right-handed pitcher Luis García.
Happy trade deadline day.
So, who can still play?
“Like, what do I think I’m going to do with our lineup?” Tracy recounted a day later. “Which we didn’t have many options at that point. How are we going to put the lineup together if this (trade) goes through? And it wasn’t long after (Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham) said it did go through, and that’s when we called the kids in and let them know.
“And there’s nothing else to say (about that situation) other than, like, (it’s) bittersweet.”
It was right around 5:54 p.m. on Tuesday when Tracy got the call that the aforementioned trade had been agreed upon. Roughly six minutes later, the Worcester manager brought all three players into his office and had Abraham tell them about the news over the phone.
From there, it was handshakes, hugs and well wishes for the three departing WooSox before the Triple-A club’s 6:45 p.m. game.
“Every one of them, we view them as our kids,” Tracy said. “We have relationships with them. We’re working hard to try to make them better. So to see them go is sad. ... But then also, the other half is like, well, maybe this is they’re moving on to an opportunity that’s more of a lane for them to maybe arrive at the big leagues quicker.
“So, you’re ecstatic for them in that regard. And I hope to maybe see one, or all of them, get a shot at the big leagues this year. That'd be cool. But, yeah, it’s tough.”
Other than dealing with the MLB tradeline as the WooSox manager the past three summers, Tracy has also experienced it as a player.
After being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the third round (No. 88 overall) of the 2006 MLB Draft, Tracy spent six seasons in the organization. Then, before the 2012 season, the former minor league catcher and first baseman was traded to the Colorado Rockies for pitcher Greg Reynolds.
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“So, yeah, been there, done that,” Tracy said, “and felt the bittersweet feeling of like, well, maybe this is a lane to an opportunity that you’re not going to get here. But also at that time, I had spent six years (with) the Rangers and it was all I knew, (I) developed a special bond with all the coaches and players and people that were there. (I) felt like I became the player I was because of being there.
“So, it’s tough to leave places, but it’s also an opportunity.”
A similar sentiment the WooSox manager shared a day after three of his players were traded to a different organization.
That’s just how it goes this time of year in Major League Baseball.
“Maybe this is (their) opportunity to go play in the big leagues a lot sooner than (they) would here,” Tracy said. “So bittersweet, but it's part of the game.”
—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'Bittersweet feeling': WooSox manager explains emotions that come with MLB trade deadline
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