Boxing Day

In Major League Redditball, teams are always making moves to booster clubhouse activity, booster scouting ability, or to prepare teams for playoff runs and postseason pushes. These trades are a necessary part of the league, as they are of all major sports leagues, as without trades of players and free agency, players wouldn't know their value as a batter, kicker, forward or center. And often times this is read as a big news story- X player for Y and Z players and a first-round pick- and many start thinking of the implications for the teams. Phrases like "That organization will get great production from him," "They'll love his spirit and activity," or "He'll be a great addition to the clubhouse as they head toward the postseason" are thrown around like fake baseballs on a warm summer day.

However, we never get to see the intricate details of what happens underneath the trade; the players who must pack up their entire lives into a few boxes and find a new home. What's it like to have to move miles away from home to play in a new stadium for a new team? What's it like to leave a clubhouse you love so dearly? Questions like these aren't known to the typical fan. So I went in with a microscope and found exactly what happens: from formation of a trade in a GM's mind, all the way through what a player goes through when their life is completely changed- for better or worse. 

During the Padres-Pirates session 9 game, I was let known of a trade sending Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen to Montreal for Demondre Bradford and Montreal's S4 1st round pick. I decided to look into the odds and ends that made this trade occur.

I talked with Jimmy Johns about the trade, and what formulated it to happen. He let me in on what went down:

Well, Smitty approached me and said it'd probably be best for him to change his scenery due to his performance this season. He had a pretty open trade clause and was open for any move. I was interested in finding someone who had a similar role but had performed better on the season. My next step was to put him on the trade block (something of which I did not know existed, a GM-exclusive trade block for potential moves) and talked with 4-5 teams fairly quickly. I knew what I was looking for in return for Smitty, so when I received the offer from Pete, I accepted.

On the moving end of the deal was veteran Pirate 1B Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen. I sat down with him to discuss the intricacies of being traded to a whole new city.

Well, it's not the first time I've been traded, so I had some experience coming in, Werbenjagermanjensen joked. Luckily, I was the one who instigated the trade, so I knew what I was in for. I've been in the situation before, and it was nothing new. I walked into Jimmy [John]'s office and brought it up to him that moving me might be beneficial to the Pirates and myself.

When I asked how he heard about the trade occurring, he recalled being shocked at the timing of the news more than anything.

I remember it was the 3rd inning of our game with the Padres, and I started noticing some players speak in a more worried tone around me or put their arm around me. I started to get emotional realizing that the deal was probably done and this at bat may be my last in a Pittsburgh uniform.

There was no need to worry about the final score though, as the Pirates walked off the Padres with an extra-inning home run from Joey Bagpipes. Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen was on-deck when the home run was hit. I wondered if he was disappointed that he didn't get one last swing for the Pittsburgh faithful: 

When he hit that homer, I didn't think for a second that I was disappointed and how I couldn't go up and swing; I was so excited that we came back and won in such an exciting game. I wasn't worried about the sentimentality of me being the one to walk it off. I loved the experience of winning one last time in Pittsburgh.

Joey Bagpipes walks off the Padres in the 7th in Smitty's final game as a Pirate

I'm really gonna miss these guys. I mean, how are you not gonna miss guys like Lummox, Foxx, Gare, Basebally, Jimmy? I'm going to miss them so much, but the thing I'm gonna miss the most are the fans.

Smitty spent a few extra minutes hugging his teammates after the game to the uproar of applause from the PNC faithful, and gave one final tip of the hat as he left the field one last time. But alas, the sentimentality is short-lived. 

After the game, Werbenjagermanjensen heads home with his wife to talk about the details of moving. Everything's packed into boxes, and luckily for Werbenjagermanjensen, his wife was already a step ahead. As soon as she was told the news of the trade, she ordered 2 pods for that evening to pick up the boxes that she had yet to unpack after moving the family to Pittsburgh. Knowing that they were likely to move soon, Smitty's 2 kids had packed up most of their belongings, and were excited to hear their dad was traded. Soon the Werbenjagermanjensens will be celebrating a different kind of boxing day; For now, they continue to pack their lives into 3x3x3 U-Haul boxes. 

By the time Werbenjagermanjensen was home, most of the first pod was already filled. All of this is done within a day or so, as Montreal expects Werbenjagermanjensen to be on the field for the next day's game.

The first full pod, outside of the Werbenjagermanjensen household the day of his trade

Within 12 hours of walking off the Padres, Smitty has moved himself out of the old house in Pittsburgh. He now moves into his new place for the time being; a hotel room in Montreal. His family will stay in the house for a few days before officially packing up, as Mr. and Mrs. Werbenjagermanjensen have been frantically searching for a residence in Montreal to limit the time spent in a hotel. Werbenjagermanjensen then heads to the Montreal clubhouse to register his number and obtain his Expo uniform. He calls his wife in Pittsburgh, to see how the she is and how the kids are.

They're a little upset. They had their last day of school today. Patrik seemed ok, butd Blake was very sad when she hugged her friends for the last time. They'll be ok though, They moved with us last year. Though it is a little different having our twins in Kindergarten. They had a lot more friends now than they did in preschool, but they'll manage. The truck's all packed up and we'll probably hit the road tomorrow. How's Montreal?

Smitty explains how Montreal's been good, and he'll probably be playing next game. He'll be playing the Padres again, as San Diego heads to Montreal.

We'll see how it goes, but I think things are going to get a lot better for us. I'm going to play better, and it'll show in my day-to-day self. No... yeah I know I said you KNOW I try not to let it affect me. The kids will be in a better school, and we'll have much better healthcare. This will be good for us.

It's clear that trades are good for teams and good for the league, but unfortunately, there may not always be happy endings. This is just one glimpse into one of a myriad of trades that have occurred in the MLR in its history. The constant change and dynamic shift of those who play this game is grueling, but for those who sign up to play the game, they are fully aware of the struggle it takes to continue on the path to success. For both Demondre and Smitty, and anyone else traded before the deadline, I wish you the best; for your family, for your residence, and for your future in fake baseball.