Former Miami Marlin Jose Reyes Mad At Jeffrey Loria, Giancarlo Stanton Is Not

Former Miami Marlins shortstop Jose Reyes still is not done expressing his discontent with the Marlins organization and particularly owner Jeffrey Loria. In a story that broke on Friday. Loria not only insisted on Reyes being untradable for the Fish, but insisted on him buying a home in Miami.

"I was shocked, because Jeffrey Loria, he always told me he's never going to trade me," Reyes said on his first day as a Blue Jay. "He always called my agent and said, 'Tell Jose to get a good place here to live,' and stuff like that."

When asked about whether he remains in contact with the Marlins, he made it very clear that he (rightfully) wanted to move on from his time with the Fish.

"After the trade, I don't talk to those guys," he said. "After the trade, everything's done. So I don't need to talk to them because they traded me. So why do I need to talk to them? If they trade me, that means they don't want me there. So I don't need to approach them and say, 'Why'd you trade me?' and stuff like that. Like I said, I was with [Loria] a couple days before the trade and he no say anything. So that caught everybody by surprise."

Asked if he would like to see Loria and get an explanation for why he wasn't warned about the deal, Reyes said: "I don't need to see him. And he don't want to see me, because he traded me."

The response is pretty understandable given the poor way in which he and the team parted ways. After all, the Marlins seemed to signal that he would all but assuredly be in a Marlins uniform in 2013, only to send him away just a few days later. If your boss did that to you at your workplace, you probably would not be happy either. The feelings Reyes shared are exactly the reason why the Marlins will have difficulty in the future spending money on free agents to come to Miami.

At the same time, as upset as Reyes is and should be, it is obvious that he has no strong case for calling Loria an outright crook. After all, he did not sign a no-trade clause, so he had to know something like this could happen. The circumstances that surrounded the trade made Loria out to be the untrustworthy negotiator that most fans already believe that he is. But grousing like this to the media is nothing but sour grapes for a player who, admittedly, is in a better situation than he would have otherwise been. His anger is totally understandable, but there is nothing more to it than anger. I wish Reyes the best of luck in his season with the Toronto Blue Jays, and I will be cheering for him.

The last part of that interview, however, linked nicely to the beginning of the Marlins' spring training.

Reyes said he also feels sorry for Giancarlo Stanton and the other Marlins players who remain on a team that has cut more than $70 million in payroll since last year.

"Stanton, he's an unbelievable great player. Great guy. Great teammate," Reyes said. "But like I say, it is what it is. I feel sorry for him. But that's the way it is."

To that, Giancarlo Stanton had something to say as well, and that something should at least calm Marlins fans' hearts temporarily with regards to Stanton's state.

"What is there to feel sorry for me about?," he said. "I'm in the big leagues. I play a game for a living."

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"People who know me know how I am," he said. "It's not going to be any pouting, or any of that stuff."

It sounds as though Stanton has gotten over the problems with the trade that he had just a few months ago. I am certain that he still feels terrible about the deal and wished that it did not occur, but it seems as though he recognized that it was in his best interest to relax and play out his remaining seasons in Miami in relative calm. Portraying himself as a "difficult personality," no matter the context of the situation, can reduce your value in the market. It obviously makes sense for Stanton to simply bottle up the distaste for the Marlins' actions and play his very best.

If he can do that, both sides will benefit. The Marlins and their fans will get a productive Stanton to watch for a few more years before the team inevitably trades him for a large haul that will benefit the club for seasons to come. Stanton, by keeping quiet, will deflect any bad publicity for himself and continue to inflate his value to other teams, whether it be for free agency or for a trade. He will keep himself valuable enough for the Marlins to trade equitably, thus yielding both parties something they want. It is really the best-case scenario for both sides, and that is why I am glad that, as Geoff Parkins of Marlin Maniac pronounced, "Giancarlo Stanton is an adult."