Not every move a Major League Baseball organization makes will be popular, but it's never ideal to hear blowback from former players.
When the Chicago Cubs let first-base coach Mike Napoli go on Monday, the general reaction to the move was confusion. How was Napoli, a 12-year big-league veteran and still a relatively new coach, to blame for any of the team's problems?
One ex-Cub took the news particularly harshly. He unleashed on the Cubs, and his critiques went beyond simply letting Napoli go.
Eric Hosmer, a member of the 2023 Cubs and a 13-year veteran in his own right, took the Cubs to task for letting Napoli go earlier this week, and in doing so, hinted that the Cubs organization might have deeper problems than those visible on the surface.
"What a JOKE," Hosmer said on X in reference to a post about Napoli's firing.
When a Cubs fan in the replies asked Hosmer about his thoughts on "Cubs upper management," Hosmer also didn't hold back, though he was careful to shield president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer from the blame.
"Jed’s a good dude," Hosmer said. "Some others that don’t belong for sure"
Hosmer only played 31 games for the Cubs, putting up a .610 OPS before being designated for assignment. He was a 2014 American League All-Star for the Kansas City Royals, and a four-time Gold Glove Award winner at first base.
Who Hosmer is referring to in the Cubs organization is anyone's guess. Many of Hoyer's assistants are still in Chicago, though former general manager Craig Breslow left for Boston. Or it could even be one or more members of the Ricketts family.
Former players are often good at shining light on problems within organizations once their playing days are over. Hosmer may be sticking up for a friend in Napoli, but his misgivings about the Cubs front office aren't what fans typically want to hear, regardless.
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