Padres News: Joe Musgrove Clarifies Stance About Potentially Losing Snell and Hader
There was a minor controversy recently surrounding two Padres that have been the subject of trade rumors and one of the Friars' starting pitchers.
Pitcher Joe Musgrove came off indifferent when he discussed fellow starting hurler Blake Snell and closer Josh Hader, saying that the team is still talented even without the duo whose names have been circulating in the rumor mill leading up to MLB's August 1 trade deadline.
Musgrove clarified his comments on Saturday, telling the media that his comments weren't specifically about his two All-Star teammates, and rather the fact that the Padres still need to win no matter who is on the roster come August 2.
“I know some fans were upset about what I said (in Toronto). I think I might have come across wrong when I said that if (Snell and Hader) go, we have a good team still. But yeah, that’s the mentality you have to have. It’s like, you get what you get in here, and that’s what we have to go and run out with. Obviously, you want to keep those guys around, and I think winning these next two games is going to be a big deciding factor in that. But ultimately, we feel like we have a good team in here, and whether those guys are here or not, we got to go out and play games and win baseball games either way."
When it comes down to it, that's the correct mentality for Musgrove and his teammates to have. It's a cliche, but ultimately baseball is a business, and the Padres may find themselves without some of their stars if the front office decides to sell over the next few days.
The Padres are 5.5 games back of the final NL wild card spot, not a negligible deficit but certainly not an insurmountable one either.
Joe Musgrove will likely still be a San Diego Padre when the dust settles on the trade deadline. Josh Hader and Blake Snell may not be.
Whether the two are there or not, the objective doesn't change. They'll still try to engineer a dramatic turnaround in the final two months of the season. Who they play alongside isn't up to the players, but they'll still have to put their best foot forward as the season reaches its crescendo.
